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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What You’ll Do

This entry-level Border Patrol Agent (BPA) role places you on the front line of federal law enforcement protecting the nation’s borders. Typical duties include:

• Detecting, questioning, and inspecting individuals and possessions to determine citizenship and identify violations.
• Preventing and apprehending undocumented noncitizens and smugglers using surveillance (including night vision/infrared) and covert techniques.
• Interpreting tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry.
• Conducting farm checks, building checks, traffic stops, city patrols, and transportation checks.
• Patrolling international boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and other assets.

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary for newly appointed BPAs (grade-dependent): $51,632 – $92,912 per year (GL-5 / GL-7 range).
• Recruitment incentive: up to $20,000 (first $10,000 after Academy completion; additional $10,000 for accepting a prioritized location).
• Retention incentive: up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years for qualifying hires.
• Eligibility for federal benefits including health and dental insurance, paid annual and sick leave, and participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (federal retirement savings).
• Potential locality and pay reforms may increase overall pay (BPA Pay Reform Act adjustments can apply; some locations receive up to ~25% additional pay).

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Duty Locations & Assignments

• Duty assignments may include Southwest Border and other mission-critical locations across multiple sectors. Prioritized locations (for incentives) include, for example, Sierra Blanca, Presidio, Sanderson, Comstock, Lordsburg, Freer, Hebbronville, and Ajo.
• You will be asked to indicate preferred locations, but final duty assignment is determined at offer based on operational needs.
• Relocation may be required.
• This is a career-ladder role (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12), with eligibility for promotion after successful completion of 52 weeks at each grade.

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Qualifications

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

• One (1) year of general work experience showing the ability to take charge, make sound decisions in stressful situations, learn rules and methods, and gather concise information via observation and questioning; OR
• A bachelor’s degree (four-year) from an accredited college or university; OR
• A combination of experience and education (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

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

• One (1) year of specialized work experience demonstrating ability to make sound firearms judgments, interact professionally in law enforcement contexts, analyze information and make prompt decisions, make arrests, or maintain informant networks; OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement or one full year of graduate-level education in a law-enforcement-related field; OR
• A combination of specialized experience and education (evaluated via resume/transcripts).

Note: Candidates with prior federal or military law enforcement experience may qualify for GL-9 or GS-11 level consideration.

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Other Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years is required.
• Age: Candidates must be referred for selection before reaching their 40th birthday in accordance with law enforcement retirement provisions (exceptions may apply for certain prior federal civilian or military service covered under specific U.S.C. provisions). This is a bona fide occupational requirement tied to retirement provisions and federal law.
• Veterans’ Preference and certain Veterans Recruitment Appointments (VRA) may apply and can affect age restrictions.
• Formal training: Selected candidates will attend the U.S. Border Patrol Academy (Artesia, NM) for approximately six months of intensive instruction (immigration and nationality law, law enforcement operations, driver training, physical techniques, firearms, and more).
• Language: Border Patrol work requires ability to speak and read Spanish and English. Training to improve Spanish proficiency is provided at the Academy.

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Why This Role

• Immediate entry-level hiring for a long-term federal law enforcement career.
• Strong pay, comprehensive federal benefits, structured career progression, and substantial recruitment and retention incentives for prioritized locations.
• Work as part of a disciplined, mission-driven team whose work has direct national impact.

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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.