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 hiring entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) — full-time, career-track federal law enforcement positions. This role is ideal for candidates seeking a long-term mission-driven career protecting the border and public safety. The client offers competitive base pay, federal benefits, and significant recruitment and retention incentives.

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What You’ll Do

As an entry-level Border Patrol Agent, you will join a large federal law enforcement workforce charged with safeguarding the nation’s borders and deterring illicit activity. Typical assignments include:

• Detecting and questioning persons suspected of violating immigration and customs laws; inspecting documents and belongings
• Conducting surveillance, including night operations using infrared and other surveillance equipment
• Interpreting tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry
• Performing farm checks, building searches, traffic stops, city patrols, and transportation checks
• Patrolling international boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, snowmobiles, and motorcycles

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary range for newly appointed BPAs (GL-5 / GL-7): $51,632 – $92,912 per year
• Eligible for federal benefits including health and dental plans, generous annual and sick leave, Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a ROTH 401(k)), and federal retirement benefits
• Recruitment incentive: Up to $20,000 (first $10,000 paid after successful academy graduation; additional $10,000 for accepting a prioritized location)
• Retention incentive: Eligible for up to $40,000 distributed during the first four years for qualifying hires
• Potential locality and pay adjustments; fully trained BPAs may be eligible for up to an additional 25% of base pay under applicable pay reform provisions

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Locations & Assignments

Duty assignments are mission-driven and determined at offer time. Assignments may include the Southwest Border and other mission-critical stations. Some prioritized/mission-critical locations may require relocation and could offer additional incentives.

Representative duty locations include (not exhaustive):

• Big Bend Sector: Presidio, Van Horn, Sanderson, Sierra Blanca, Alpine, Marfa
• Tucson Sector: Ajo, Tucson, Nogales, Douglas, Brian A Terry, Sonoita, Casa Grande, Three Points, Willcox
• El Paso, Del Rio, Laredo, Rio Grande Valley, San Diego, Yuma sectors, and additional sectors across the U.S.

Relocation may be required; duty location affects pay and locality adjustments.

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Qualifications

You may qualify at one of the listed grade levels depending on your experience or education:

GL-5 (Entry) — one of the following:

• One year of general work experience demonstrating the ability to take charge, make sound decisions in stressful situations, learn regulations and methods, and gather concise information through questioning and observation
• OR a bachelor’s degree (any field) from an accredited institution
• OR a combination of education and experience (evaluated from resume and transcripts)

GL-7 — one of the following:

• One year of specialized experience showing you can: make sound judgments in firearms use, deal effectively and courteously with people in law enforcement contexts, analyze information quickly and make prompt decisions (examples: criminal code enforcement, corrections, security, military, law enforcement)
• OR a bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (GPA or honors, etc.) or one full year of graduate-level study in a related field (criminal justice, homeland security, forensic studies, etc.)
• OR a combination of experience and education (evaluated from resume and transcripts)

Candidates with prior law enforcement or military police experience may qualify at higher grade levels (GL-9, GS-11).

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Required & Preferred Conditions

• 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 restriction: Candidates must be referred prior to their 40th birthday per applicable federal law enforcement retirement provisions (with lawful exceptions for certain prior qualifying federal service or veterans’ appointments).
• Veterans’ preference: Eligible candidates may qualify for special hiring authorities; age restriction may not apply for eligible veterans.
• Formal training: Successful hires will attend the client’s Border Patrol Academy (~6 months) for intensive instruction in immigration/nationality laws, enforcement operations, driver training, physical techniques, firearms, and other courses.
• Language: Border Patrol work requires the ability to communicate in English and proficiency in Spanish is highly valued; Academy language training is provided.
• Physical & background requirements: Candidates must meet fitness, medical, and background investigation standards consistent with federal law enforcement roles.

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Selection & Career Progression

• This is a career-ladder position (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12). Promotions to the next grade typically occur after successful completion of required time-in-grade (e.g., 52 weeks) and performance standards without reapplying.
• Offers and duty assignments are based on operational needs; the client determines assignments at offer time.
• Candidates will be evaluated on experience, education, supporting documentation (resume, transcripts), and required entrance exams.

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What Makes This Opportunity Competitive

• Mission-driven federal law enforcement career with long-term stability
• Competitive base pay and locality adjustments
• Substantial recruitment and retention incentives (up to $60,000 total for qualifying hires)
• Robust federal benefits and retirement programs
• Hands-on training and clear career progression within a large federal law enforcement organization

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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.