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, 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 recruiting full-time, entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) at GL-5 and GL-7 grade levels to join a federal law enforcement career path focused on border security, public safety, and interdiction operations. This role includes formal Academy training, competitive pay, federal benefits, and recruitment/retention incentives for qualified candidates.

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Salary & Benefits

Confidential Client offers:

• Annual base salary (newly appointed BPAs): GL-5 / GL-7 — $51,632 – $92,912 per year.
• Recruitment incentive: up to $20,000 (first $10,000 paid after successful completion of the Border Patrol Academy; remaining $10,000 for accepting certain prioritized locations).
• Retention incentive: up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years for eligible hires (total potential additional incentives up to $60,000).
• Federal benefits package including health, dental, retirement (Thrift Savings Plan), paid annual and sick leave, and eligibility for locality pay adjustments (BPA Pay Reform Act provisions may increase pay up to an additional ~25% in some locations).
• Career-ladder progression: GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12 with eligibility for promotion after completing required time-in-grade.

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What You’ll Do

Confidential Client Border Patrol Agents perform a range of field and investigative duties to detect, deter, and interdict illegal border activity. Typical responsibilities include:

• Detecting, questioning, and inspecting individuals and belongings to determine immigration or customs violations.
• Preventing and apprehending undocumented entrants and smugglers using surveillance, tracking, and covert observation (including night operations with infrared scopes).
• Interpreting and following physical evidence such as tracks and marks to locate illegal entry points.
• Conducting farm checks, building checks, traffic stops, city patrols, and transportation inspections.
• Patrolling international boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and other government assets.

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Qualifications

You may qualify for GL-5 if you meet ANY one of the following:

• Experience: One (1) year of general work experience demonstrating the ability to take charge, make sound decisions under stress, learn through classroom or on-the-job training, and gather concise information.
• Education substitution: A bachelor’s degree (four-year course of study) from an accredited college or university.
• Combination: A combination of general work experience and college education (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

You may qualify for GL-7 if you meet ANY one of the following:

• Experience: One (1) year of specialized work experience demonstrating the ability to:
  • Make sound judgments in the use of firearms;
  • Deal effectively and courteously with people in law enforcement contexts;
  • Rapidly analyze information and make prompt decisions, including making arrests after required training.
• Education substitution: Bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (e.g., GPA ≥ 3.0, class standing, or honor society), OR one full year of graduate-level education in a related field (criminal justice, homeland security, forensic studies, etc.), OR a calculated combination of experience and education.

Additional notes:

• Prior or current federal civilian law enforcement or military law enforcement experience may qualify candidates for higher grade consideration (GL-9, GS-11).
• Spanish language reading and speaking ability is useful; Academy language training is provided to increase proficiency.
• Formal training: Successful hires attend the Border Patrol Academy (~6 months) for intensive instruction in immigration/nationality law, law enforcement tactics, firearms, driving, and physical techniques.

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Other Requirements & Eligibility

• Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Residency: Must have maintained primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age: Must be referred for selection before reaching your 40th birthday per applicable law enforcement retirement provisions; exceptions may apply for certain federal law enforcement veterans or prior-covered service.
• Veterans: Veterans’ preference and certain excepted appointment pathways (e.g., VRA) may apply; some veterans are exempt from the age restriction.
• Background & Clearances: Successful candidates will undergo background investigation, medical, and fitness evaluations consistent with federal law enforcement hiring.
• Mobility: Duty assignments are made based on operational needs; relocation may be required. Some prioritized locations may be part of hiring incentives.

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Duty Locations (selected mission-critical sectors)

Duty assignments may include prioritized locations and sectors; candidates will be asked to indicate preferences but assignments are made based on operational needs:

• Big Bend Sector (Presidio, Van Horn, Sanderson, Alpine, Sierra Blanca, Marfa)
• Del Rio Sector (Del Rio, Brackettville, Comstock, Eagle Pass, Carrizo Springs, Uvalde)
• El Paso Sector (Alamogordo, Clint, Deming, El Paso, Fort Hancock, Las Cruces, Lordsburg, Santa Teresa)
• Laredo Sector (Laredo South, Cotulla, Hebbronville, Freer, Zapata)
• Tucson Sector (Ajo, Tucson, Nogales, Douglas, Sonoita, Casa Grande, Three Points, Willcox)
• Rio Grande Valley, San Diego, El Centro, Grand Forks, Havre, Houlton, Spokane, Swanton, Yuma and others

Note: Duty location affects locality pay. Some prioritized locations are included in recruitment incentive eligibility.

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Compliance & Candidate Protections

Careertakes and Confidential Client follow applicable federal and state hiring laws. Reasonable accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities during the application and selection process. Candidates will be evaluated on job-related qualifications and protected-class status will not be used in hiring decisions.

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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.