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 (Federal law enforcement).

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 entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) at the GL-5 and GL-7 grade levels to join a full-time, career federal law enforcement team. This role is mission-driven and offers training, strong benefits, career progression, and substantial recruitment and retention incentives (up to $60,000 total).

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary (newly appointed BPAs): GL-5 / GL-7 — $51,632 to $92,912 per year.
• Up to $20,000 recruitment incentive (e.g., $10,000 upon Academy graduation + $10,000 for accepting prioritized locations).
• Up to $40,000 retention incentives distributed over the first four years (may apply).
• Federal benefits including health, dental, generous annual & sick leave, participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (retirement savings).
• Potential locality and pay differentials for certain duty locations; fully trained BPAs may be eligible for up to an additional ~25% of base pay under pay reform provisions.
• This is a career-ladder role (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12) with promotion opportunities after meeting time-in-grade requirements.

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What You’ll Do (Typical Duties & Responsibilities)

• Detect, question, and inspect persons and documents to determine immigration or customs violations.
• Prevent and apprehend unauthorized entrants and smugglers using surveillance (including night operations and infrared scopes).
• Interpret tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry.
• Conduct farm, building, traffic, city, and transportation checks.
• Patrol boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, off‑road vehicles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and motorcycles as required by operations.

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Duty Locations

Important: duty assignments are determined at time of offer based on operational needs and may include Southwest Border prioritized locations. Relocation may be required.

Preferred mission-critical locations (you will be asked to select preferences from these sectors and stations):

• Big Bend Sector — Presidio*, Van Horn, Sanderson*, Alpine, Sierra Blanca*, Marfa
• Buffalo Sector — Wellesley Island
• Del Rio Sector — Del Rio, Brackettville, Comstock*, Eagle Pass North/South, Carrizo Springs, Uvalde
• El Paso Sector — Alamogordo, Clint, Deming, El Paso, Fort Hancock, Las Cruces, Lordsburg*, Santa Teresa, Ysleta
• El Centro Sector — El Centro, Indio, Calexico
• Grand Forks Sector — Pembina
• Havre Sector — Havre, Malta, Plentywood, Scobey, Sweetgrass
• Houlton Sector — Calais, Fort Fairfield, Jackman, Rangeley, Van Buren
• Laredo Sector — Laredo South, Cotulla, Hebbronville*, Freer*, Laredo West/North, Zapata
• Rio Grande Valley Sector — Rio Grande City, Fort Brown, McAllen, Brownsville, Falfurrias, Weslaco, Kingsville, Harlingen
• San Diego Sector — Boulevard, Brownfield, Campo, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Murrieta, San Clemente
• Spokane Sector — Colville, Curlew, Metaline Falls, Oroville
• Swanton Sector — Beecher Falls, Burke, Champlain, Newport, Richford
• Tucson Sector — Ajo*, Tucson, Nogales, Douglas, Brian A Terry, Sonoita, Casa Grande, Three Points, Willcox
• Yuma Sector — Blythe, Yuma, Wellton

(Locations marked with * were identified as prioritized for incentives.)

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Minimum Qualifications

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

• One (1) year of general work experience demonstrating the ability to take charge, make sound decisions under stress, learn regulations and techniques, and gather concise information through questioning and observation; OR
• A bachelor’s degree (any field) from an accredited institution; OR
• A combination of general work experience and college credit (calculated from submitted resume and transcripts).

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

• One (1) year of specialized work experience showing skills to:
  • Make sound judgments in the use of firearms;
  • Deal effectively and courteously with people on law enforcement matters;
  • Rapidly analyze information and make prompt decisions (including arrests after training), applied in law enforcement, corrections, security, military, or related roles; OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (GPA or class standing/honor society) or one full year of graduate-level study in a related field (criminal justice, homeland security, forensic tech, etc.); OR
• A combination of experience and education (calculated from resume/transcripts).

Note: Applicants with prior or current federal civilian or military law enforcement experience may qualify at GL-9 or GS-11 grade levels — refer to specialized announcements for those grades.

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Other Requirements & Important Information

• 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 reaching their 40th birthday per law enforcement retirement provisions; exceptions may apply for certain prior federal law enforcement service or veterans’ preference eligibilities.
• Veterans: Veterans’ Preference and special hiring authorities (e.g., Veterans Recruitment Appointment) may apply and can affect age restrictions.
• Training: New hires attend approximately six (6) months at the Border Patrol Academy (Artesia, NM) for intensive instruction (laws, operations, driver training, physical techniques, firearms, etc.).
• Language: Border Patrol work requires the ability to speak and read English and Spanish. Spanish proficiency training is provided during Academy.
• Work environment: Field operations can include remote, rural, and harsh environments; physical fitness, adaptability, and readiness to use specialized vehicles and equipment are required.

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Confidential Client — What We’re Looking For

• Commitment to a long-term federal law enforcement career and public service.
• Integrity, sound judgment, and calm decision-making under pressure.
• Willingness to relocate and serve in mission-critical locations.
• Prior experience in public safety, security, military, or law enforcement is helpful but not required for entry-level BPAs.

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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.