About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, a federal law enforcement agency focused on border security and customs.

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

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What You’ll Do

This entry-level Border Patrol Agent (BPA) role is a full-time federal law enforcement position. You will train at the Border Patrol Academy and join a team that protects the border, deters illicit activity, and enforces immigration and customs laws.

• Detect and question people suspected of violating immigration and customs laws; inspect documents and possessions to determine citizenship or violations
• Conduct surveillance and interdiction operations (including night operations using NV/infrared scopes)
• Interpret tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry or smuggling
• Perform farm checks, building checks, traffic checks, city patrols, and transportation inspections
• Patrol boundaries and waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, motorcycles, and other government assets

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Qualifications

You may qualify at different grade levels depending on experience and education:

• GL-5 — One (1) year of general work experience demonstrating decision-making, composure under stress, ability to learn procedures, and information-gathering; OR a bachelor’s degree; OR a combination of experience and education.
• GL-7 — One (1) year of specialized experience showing law-enforcement-related judgment, firearms use, arrests, and effective interpersonal skills; OR a bachelor’s with superior academic achievement; OR graduate-level coursework relevant to law enforcement; OR a combination of experience and education.
• Veterans and prior federal law enforcement or military law enforcement experience may qualify candidates for higher grade consideration (GL-9, GS-11).

Other required qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship
• Primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years
• Must be referred and selected before reaching 40th birthday unless an exception applies (e.g., certain federal service or Veterans’ preference)
• Successful completion of ~6 months at the Border Patrol Academy (Artesia, NM) — training includes laws, tactical skills, firearms, driving, and Spanish language proficiency; Spanish training is provided as needed

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Compensation & Benefits

• Estimated annual base salary for newly appointed BPAs (GL‑5/GL‑7): $51,632–$92,912 per year
• Recruitment incentive: up to $20,000 (first $10,000 after academy; additional $10,000 for accepting a prioritized location)
• Retention incentive: may qualify for up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years
• Additional locality or law-enforcement pay (BPA Pay Reform Act) may apply — fully trained BPAs can be eligible for up to an additional ~25% of base pay in some locations
• Federal benefits: health, dental, retirement (Thrift Savings Plan), generous annual/sick leave, and other federal employee benefits

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Location & Travel

This listing is for Devine, TX (authoritative location). Duty assignments are determined at the time of offer based on operational needs and may include prioritized Southwest Border locations. Relocation may be required; duty location affects pay (locality/LE pay). Examples of prioritized/mission-critical locations include Presidio, Sierra Blanca, Lordsburg, Ajo, Freer, Hebbronville, Comstock and many sector stations across the U.S.

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Hiring Process & Additional Info

• Application flow: Careertakes supports the application process and will link qualified candidates to the CBP Talent Network and the BPA Job Opening Announcements on USAJOBS. Follow instructions on the job announcement — submit resume, transcripts, and required documentation.
• Evaluation: candidates are evaluated on resume, supporting documents, and the BPA Entrance Exam.
• Physical/medical/fitness and background investigations will apply for final appointment.
• Training: approximately six months at the Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, NM. Language training in Spanish is provided as needed.

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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.