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, Legal.

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

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Why This Role Matters

Confidential Client is recruiting full-time, entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) at GL-5 / GL-7 grade levels. This is an entry-level federal law enforcement career that provides structured advancement, formal academy training, federal benefits, and meaningful day-to-day impact protecting the nation.

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What You’ll Do

As an entry-level Border Patrol Agent you will join a large federal law enforcement team and perform front-line border protection tasks, including:

• Detect and question persons suspected of violating immigration and customs laws
• Inspect documents and possessions to determine citizenship or violations
• Prevent and apprehend undocumented noncitizens and smugglers, including covert surveillance and night operations using infrared optics
• Interpret and follow tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry
• Conduct farm, building, traffic, city, and transportation checks
• Patrol international boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and other government assets

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary for newly appointed BPAs (GL-5 / GL-7): $51,632 – $92,912 per year (varies by grade and locality)
• Estimated midpoint shown: $78,758/year (estimate)
• Eligible federal benefits include health, dental, and vision plans; generous annual and sick leave; and participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (federal retirement savings)
• Training: Candidates attend the Border Patrol Academy (approx. 6 months) for intensive instruction in immigration and nationality law, firearms, driver training, physical techniques, and Spanish language training

Incentives:

• Recruitment incentive: up to $20,000 (first $10,000 paid after successful completion of the Border Patrol Academy; remaining $10,000 for accepting a prioritized location)
• Retention incentive: up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years for qualifying new hires
• Fully trained BPAs may be eligible for up to an additional 25% locality pay under BPA Pay Reform provisions in certain locations

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Where You May Serve

Duty assignments are determined by operational needs and may include Southwest Border and other mission-critical sectors. Relocation may be required. Examples of mission-critical locations include, but are not limited to:

• Big Bend Sector (Presidio, Van Horn, Sierra Blanca, Sanderson, Alpine, Marfa)
• Del Rio Sector (Del Rio, Brackettville, Comstock, Eagle Pass, Carrizo Springs, Uvalde)
• El Paso Sector (El Paso, Alamogordo, Lordsburg, Las Cruces, Santa Teresa)
• Laredo & Rio Grande Valley Sectors (Laredo, Hebbronville, Freer, Rio Grande City, McAllen, Brownsville)
• Tucson, Yuma, San Diego, Grand Forks, Havre, Houlton, Spokane, Swanton sectors, and other locations listed by assignment

Duty location affects pay (locality/mission pay) and operational expectations.

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Qualifications

You may qualify at different grade levels based on experience and education:

GL-5 qualification (one of the following):

• One year of general work experience demonstrating decision-making, composure under stress, and ability to learn procedures and gather information; OR
• A bachelor’s degree (any field) from an accredited college/university; OR
• A combination of relevant experience and college education (evaluated from resume and transcripts)

GL-7 qualification (one of the following):

• One year of specialized work experience demonstrating law-enforcement-related judgment and skills, including firearms use, public interaction in law-enforcement matters, rapid information analysis, arrests, or related security/military/corrections experience; OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (class standing, GPA ≥ 3.0, or honor society membership), OR
• One full year of graduate-level education in a law-enforcement-related field (criminal justice, homeland security, forensic technology, etc.); OR
• A combination of experience and education (evaluated via submitted documentation)

Note: Candidates with prior federal or military law enforcement experience may qualify at GL-9 / GS-11 levels — see the applicable announcement for those grade levels.

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Other Requirements & Important Legal Notes

• Citizenship: U.S. citizenship is required for this position (this is a bona fide job requirement for federal law enforcement roles).
• 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 federal law enforcement retirement provisions (Public Law 100-238); exceptions may apply for certain prior federal civilian law enforcement service or Veterans’ Preference eligibles.
• Veterans: Veterans’ Preference and certain appointment options (e.g., Veterans Recruitment Appointment) may apply and can affect eligibility and the age restriction.
• Background & Fitness: Selection requires completion of background investigations, medical and psychological exams, fitness assessments, and successful completion of the Border Patrol Academy.
• Language: Border Patrol Agents must be able to speak and read English; Spanish proficiency is common and the Academy provides language training to achieve operational proficiency as needed.
• Reasonable accommodations: Confidential Client and Careertakes will consider reasonable accommodation requests in compliance with federal and state law.

(How-to-apply instructions have been removed from this posting per Careertakes process guidance.)

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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.