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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Salary & Benefits

Annual base pay for newly appointed Border Patrol Agents (BPA) at GL-5 / GL-7: $51,632 – $92,912 per year.

Additional compensation and benefits:

• Up to $60,000 in hiring and retention incentives (recruitment incentive up to $20,000; retention incentives up to $40,000 over the first four years).
• Comprehensive federal benefits including health, dental, vision, retirement (Thrift Savings Plan), and generous annual/sick leave.
• Career-ladder promotions (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12) with eligibility for promotion after 52 weeks in grade.
• Potential locality and law-enforcement pay adjustments (may add up to ~25% in some locations per BPA Pay Reform provisions).

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What You’ll Do

As a Border Patrol Agent you will protect our borders and communities by preventing, detecting, and interdicting illegal entry and smuggling. Typical assignments and duties include:

• Detecting and questioning people suspected of violating immigration and customs laws; inspecting documents and possessions.
• Maintaining surveillance (including night operations using infrared scopes) and conducting patrols by vehicle, foot, horse, ATV, watercraft, or other government assets.
• Performing farm checks, building checks, traffic stops, city patrols, and transportation checks.
• Interpreting tracks and other physical evidence of illegal entry.
• Apprehending undocumented entrants and smugglers; performing arrests after required training.

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Where You Could Work

Duty assignments are determined at the time of offer based on operational needs. Assignments may include Southwest Border stations and other mission-critical sectors. Relocation may be required.

Representative mission-critical locations (examples — you will be asked to indicate preferences):

• 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
• El Centro Sector: El Centro, Indio, Calexico
• Tucson Sector: Ajo, Tucson, Nogales, Douglas, Sonoita, Casa Grande, Willcox
• Yuma Sector: Blythe, Yuma, Wellton
• (Additional sector stations across the U.S.; prioritized locations may be offered for incentives.)

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Qualifications

Minimum qualifications vary by grade level. Typical paths:

You qualify at GL-5 if you have ONE of the following:

• One year of general work experience demonstrating sound decision-making, composure under stress, and the ability to learn regulations and procedures; OR
• A bachelor's degree (any field) from an accredited college or university; OR
• A combination of education and experience (evaluated from transcripts and resume).

You qualify at GL-7 if you have ONE of the following:

• One year of specialized work experience demonstrating the ability to: make sound judgments in the use of firearms; deal tactfully and effectively with people in law-enforcement contexts; analyze information quickly and make prompt decisions (experience in criminal code enforcement, corrections, security, military police, etc.); OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (class standing, GPA ≥ 3.0, or honor society) OR one year of graduate-level study in a related field (criminal justice, homeland security, forensic technology, etc.); OR
• A combination of qualifying experience and education.

Note: Applicants with prior/current federal or military law-enforcement experience may qualify at higher grade levels (GL-9 or GS-11). Your resume and transcripts will be used to determine grade eligibility.

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Other Requirements & Important Notes

• Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Residency: Must have had primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age: Candidates must be referred for selection before their 40th birthday per law-enforcement retirement provisions (exceptions may apply for certain prior service or veterans’ appointments).
• Veterans: Veterans’ preference and certain hiring authorities (e.g., VRA) may apply and can affect age or appointment rules.
• Training: Selected candidates will attend approximately six months at the Border Patrol Academy (Artesia, NM) for intensive training in law enforcement, immigration law, firearms, defensive tactics, driver training, and other mission-specific instruction.
• Language: Border Patrol work requires reading and speaking English; Spanish proficiency is strongly preferred and training is offered at the Academy to improve Spanish proficiency.
• Physical/Medical: Candidates must meet federal law-enforcement medical, physical fitness, and background investigation standards.
• Duty Location & Relocation: Duty assignments are determined by operational need. Accepting a prioritized location may be tied to certain incentives.

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Preferred Skills & Attributes (examples to highlight in your application)

• Strong decision-making and composure under stress
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Ability to learn rules, procedures, and law-enforcement techniques quickly
• Familiarity with surveillance methods and basic investigative practices
• Physical fitness and adaptability to diverse environments

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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.