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, Customs and Border Protection.

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

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The Opportunity

Confidential Client is recruiting full-time, entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) for career federal law enforcement positions. This role includes structured classroom and on-the-job training at a federal academy, a clear promotion ladder (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12), and opportunities to work across mission-critical sectors. The role offers competitive base pay, comprehensive federal benefits, and incentives of up to $60,000 for eligible hires.

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary ranges (new hires by grade): GL-5 / GL-7 — $51,632 to $92,912 per year.
• Estimated midpoint (for reference): $69,301 per year (varies by locality and grade).
• Federal benefits package, including:
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Generous annual and sick leave.
  • Participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (a retirement savings plan).
  • Career-ladder promotions without reapplying after completed time-in-grade requirements.

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Incentives

• Recruitment Incentive: Up to $20,000 — typically $10,000 upon successful completion of the Border Patrol Academy and $10,000 for accepting a prioritized location.
• Retention Incentive: Eligible new agents may qualify for up to $40,000 distributed across the first four years of service.
• Locality and special pay differential may increase total compensation (in some locations up to an additional ~25% under applicable pay reform provisions).

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Duty Locations

Duty assignments are determined at the time of offer based on operational needs; relocation may be required. Prioritized locations may be offered for incentive purposes. Representative mission sectors and stations include (not exhaustive):

• Big Bend Sector: Presidio, Van Horn, Sanderson, Sierra Blanca, Alpine, Marfa
• Del Rio Sector: Del Rio, Brackettville, Comstock, Eagle Pass, Carrizo Springs, Uvalde
• El Paso Sector: El Paso, Clint, Deming, Fort Hancock, Las Cruces, Lordsburg
• Laredo Sector: Laredo South, Cotulla, Hebbronville, Freer, Zapata
• Rio Grande Valley Sector: Rio Grande City, McAllen, Brownsville, Harlingen
• Tucson Sector: Ajo, Tucson, Nogales, Douglas, Sonoita
• San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Grand Forks, Havre, Houlton, Spokane, Swanton and other sector locations across the U.S.

Note: Some duty stations are mission-critical and prioritized for incentives.

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Duties & Responsibilities

Typical duties for a Border Patrol Agent include:

• Detecting, questioning, and inspecting people and possessions to determine citizenship or violations.
• Preventing and apprehending undocumented migrants and smugglers using surveillance, checkpoints, and patrols.
• Interpreting physical evidence such as tracks and marks to detect illegal entry.
• Conducting farm checks, building checks, traffic and transportation checks, and city patrols.
• Patrolling boundaries and waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, snowmobiles, and motorcycles as operational needs require.

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Minimum Qualifications

Qualifications differ by grade level. You will be evaluated based on your resume and any submitted transcripts.

GL-5 (entry-level) — one of:

• One (1) year of general work experience demonstrating ability to take charge, make sound decisions under stress, learn regulations and methods, and gather concise information via questioning and observation; OR
• A bachelor’s degree (any field) from an accredited college or university; OR
• A combination of general work experience and college education (calculated from transcripts/resume).

GL-7 — one of:

• One (1) year of specialized work experience demonstrating:
  • Sound judgment and decisions in the use of firearms;
  • Effective, courteous interactions with the public in law enforcement contexts;
  • Rapid analysis of information and prompt decision-making, including making arrests after training; OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (GPA or class standing/honors) OR one full year of graduate-level coursework in a law-enforcement-related field; OR
• A combination of specialized experience and education (as calculated from your materials).

If you have prior law enforcement or military law enforcement experience, you may be eligible for higher grade consideration (GL-9 / GS-11). Consult the applicable announcement for advanced-grade eligibility.

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Other Requirements & Training

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Residency: Primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age: Candidates must generally be referred for selection before their 40th birthday due to law enforcement retirement rules; exceptions may apply for qualified veterans or those with prior federal law enforcement service.
• Veterans’ Preference and certain excepted appointments may apply for eligible veterans.
• Training: Newly hired agents attend an approximately six-month Border Patrol Academy covering immigration and nationality law, law enforcement operations, driver training, physical techniques, firearms, and other subjects.
• Language: Ability to speak and read English is required; Spanish proficiency is highly useful. Academy language training is provided to improve Spanish proficiency where needed.
• Medical, fitness, background, and other pre-employment checks apply.

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Selection & Notes

• This is a full-time federal law enforcement position with a structured selection process: your application materials, transcripts (if applicable), and any entrance exam(s) are used to evaluate eligibility.
• Duty assignment and locality pay affect pay rates; offers reflect operational needs and locality differentials.

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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.