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 / Homeland Security (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 full-time, entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) to join a career-focused federal law enforcement team. This is a mission-driven role suited to candidates seeking long-term public safety work, with formal academy training, a structured career ladder (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12), competitive base pay, and significant recruitment and retention incentives.

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What You’ll Do

• Detect and question people suspected of violating immigration and customs laws; inspect documents and possessions to determine citizenship or violations.
• Prevent and apprehend undocumented individuals and smugglers near borders through surveillance, covert observation, and patrol operations.
• Interpret and follow tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry.
• Conduct farm checks, building checks, traffic checks, city patrols, and transportation inspections.
• Patrol international boundaries and waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, and motorcycles.

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary for newly appointed BPAs (GL-5 / GL-7): $51,632 – $92,912 per year.
• Base pay may be supplemented by locality and law-enforcement pay adjustments; a fully trained BPA may qualify for up to ~25% additional pay under applicable pay reform provisions.
• Federal benefits package including health, dental, retirement (Thrift Savings Plan), paid annual and sick leave, and other standard federal benefits.

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Recruitment & Retention Incentives

• Recruitment incentive: Up to $20,000 for newly appointed BPAs (first $10,000 after successful completion of the Border Patrol Academy; remaining $10,000 for accepting a prioritized location).
• Retention incentive: Eligible BPAs may qualify for up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years.
• Total potential incentive (recruitment + retention) can reach up to $60,000 depending on eligibility and assignments.

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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 demonstrating decision-making under stress, ability to learn procedures, and information-gathering skills; OR
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university; OR
• A combination of education and general work experience (evaluated from resume/transcripts).

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

• One (1) year of specialized experience that demonstrates the ability to use firearms safely and exercise sound judgment, interact courteously and effectively in law-enforcement situations, and analyze information and make rapid decisions — for example: criminal enforcement, corrections, security, military police; OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (e.g., GPA ≥ 3.0, class standing, or honor society), OR one year of relevant graduate-level education; OR
• A combination of specialized experience and education (evaluated from resume/transcripts).

If you have prior federal or military law enforcement experience you may qualify at higher grade levels (GL-9 / GS-11).

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Other Requirements & Training

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Must have had primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age: Candidates must be referred for selection before their 40th birthday per law enforcement retirement provisions; exceptions may apply for prior federal civilian LEO service or Veterans’ Preference eligibility.
• Formal training: Successful candidates attend the Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, NM (approximately six months) for intensive classroom and field instruction in law enforcement, immigration and nationality law, firearms, tactics, driver training, and physical techniques. Spanish language training is provided as part of the Academy curriculum; proficiency in English is required.
• This role may require relocation; duty assignment is based on operational needs.

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Duty Locations & Assignment Notes

You will be asked to select preferred duty locations from mission-critical sectors. Available assignments may include Southwest Border locations and other sectors across the U.S. Priority locations may include (but are not limited to): Presidio, Sanderson, Sierra Blanca, Comstock, Lordsburg, Freer, Hebbronville, Ajo, and others listed by sector. Duty location impacts locality pay and assignment may require relocation.

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Why Apply (Key Selling Points)

• Entry-level pathway into a stable federal law enforcement career.
• Structured promotion ladder with on-the-job progression.
• Competitive base pay plus meaningful recruitment + retention incentives.
• Comprehensive federal benefits and retirement plan.
• Intensive, professional academy training and language support.

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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.