About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by Federal law enforcement (Customs and Border Protection).

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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Overview

Confidential Client is hiring full-time, entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) at GL-5 / GL-7 grade levels. This is a federal law enforcement career path offering structured training, a career-ladder promotion system, comprehensive benefits, and recruitment/retention incentives up to $60,000 for eligible hires. Candidates should expect duty assignments based on operational needs; relocation may be required.

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What You’ll Do

As a Border Patrol Agent with Confidential Client, you will:

• Detect, question, and inspect persons and belongings to enforce immigration and customs laws
• Prevent and apprehend undocumented noncitizens and smugglers using surveillance (including night operations with specialized optics)
• Interpret tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry
• Conduct farm, building, traffic, city, and transportation checks
• Patrol boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, motorcycles, and other government assets
• Work as part of an operational team to deter illicit activity and protect national security

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary for newly appointed BPAs by grade: $51,632 – $92,912 per year (GL-5 / GL-7 range)
• Up to $60,000 in additional incentives:
  • Recruitment incentive: up to $20,000 (first $10,000 upon successful completion of the training academy; remaining $10,000 for accepting prioritized locations)
  • Retention incentive: up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years for qualifying hires
• Federal benefits package options including health, dental, leave programs, retirement savings (Thrift Savings Plan), and other standard federal employee benefits
• Potential locality pay adjustments and law-enforcement pay differentials (may increase base pay in certain duty locations)

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Duty Locations

Duty assignments are determined at the time of offer based on operational needs and may include Southwest Border and other mission-critical locations. Prioritized (incentive) duty locations are included in the hiring announcement and may require relocation.

Sample sectors and stations (non-exhaustive):

• Big Bend Sector (Presidio, Van Horn, Sierra Blanca, Sanderson, etc.)
• Del Rio, El Paso, El Centro, Tucson, Yuma, San Diego sectors and others across border and coastal regions

Duty location affects pay (locality and pay reform differentials). This role is a career ladder: GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12 with eligibility for promotion after successful completion of required time-in-grade.

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Qualifications

You may qualify at GL-5 by meeting one of the following:

• One year of general work experience demonstrating sound decision-making, the ability to learn regulations and methods, and effective information gathering; OR
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; OR
• A combination of education and experience (evaluated from resume and transcripts)

You may qualify at GL-7 by meeting one of the following:

• One year of specialized work experience demonstrating:
  • Sound judgment and decision-making with firearms,
  • Effective interpersonal skills in law enforcement contexts,
  • Rapid information analysis and prompt decision-making (including arrests after required training); OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement or one year of related graduate-level education; OR
• A combination of education and specialized experience (evaluated from resume and transcripts)

Note: Candidates with prior federal or military law enforcement experience may qualify at higher grade levels (GL-9 / GS-11). Applicants are evaluated on documented experience, resume, supporting materials, and required examinations.

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Other Requirements & Training

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Must have been a primary U.S. resident for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age limitation: must be referred for selection before reaching 40 years of age in accordance with applicable federal law and retirement provisions, unless exempt (e.g., prior federal civilian law enforcement service or Veterans’ Preference eligibility).
• Veterans may be eligible for excepted service appointments and certain age exemptions.
• Selected candidates will attend approximately six months of the agency training academy (Artesia, New Mexico or as designated) for intensive instruction in law enforcement, immigration law, driver training, firearms, physical techniques, and specialized operations.
• Spanish language ability is preferred; training may be provided to improve Spanish proficiency.

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How Candidates Are Evaluated

• Applications are reviewed based on resume, supporting documents (transcripts, certifications), and required entrance exams.
• Candidates must follow all instructions in the vacancy announcement for application submission.
• Reasonable accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities during the application and hiring process — request information if needed.

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Confidential Client — Candidate Notes

Confidential Client determines duty assignments and hiring decisions based on operational needs. Applying does not guarantee placement in a preferred location. Recruitment and retention incentives, pay differentials, and specific duty-station details will be provided in the official job announcement.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.