Border Patrol Agent - Experienced

About the role

USBP is hiring immediately for full-time, career positions as Border Patrol Agents (BPA). Your prior law enforcement officer (LEO) experience may qualify you for higher-graded BPA opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Deterring illicit activity and enhancing national economic prosperity
• Performing physical searches of detained individuals, their vehicles, and their immediate surroundings for weapons, contraband, currency, and other evidence
• Apprehending, physically restraining, or working with law enforcement officials to identify or apprehend violators of state, federal, or immigration laws
• Utilizing intelligence information to track illegal operations, criminal activity, threats to our nation, and/or contraband
• Leading investigations of fraud, contraband, criminal activity, threats to our nation, and/or illegal operations
• Apprehending violators of state, federal, or immigration laws by utilizing various forms of complex technology

Qualifications

• GL-9: One year of specialized experience performing duties such as physical searches, apprehensions, and investigative reporting
• GS-11: One year of specialized experience performing duties such as leading investigations, utilizing complex technology, and exercising sound judgment in the use of firearms

Benefits

• Base Salary: GL-9/GS-11, $65,545 - $124,717 per year
• Locality Pay: Varies by duty location
• Overtime Pay: Up to 25%
• Promotion to the next higher grade level after 52 weeks in the lower grade level
• Federal employment benefits including health and insurance plans, annual and sick leave, and participation in the Thrift Savings Plan

Pay

Salary for newly appointed law enforcement Border Patrol Agents varies from: Base Salary: GL-9/GS-11, $65,545 - $124,717 per year Locality Pay: Varies by duty location. Overtime Pay: Up to 25% Duty location impacts pay rates; locality pay for federal law enforcement is higher in some locations than others.

Schedule

U.S. Border Patrol determines duty assignments at the time of offer based on operational needs, which may or may not align with candidates’ first-choice preferences. Relocation may be required.

Benefits

• Recruitment Incentive: Up to $20,000 incentive
• Prioritized Location Incentive: Up to $10,000 for accepting a prioritized location
• Retention Incentive: Up to $40,000 in additional incentives distributed over the first four years

Duty Locations

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

Other Requirements

• Citizenship: Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Residency: Must have had primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years
• Age Restriction: Must be referred for selection to the Border Patrol Agent position before reaching their 40th birthday
• Veterans’ Preference: Eligible for Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
• Formal Training: Detailed training in immigration and nationality laws, law enforcement, and USBP-specific operations, driver training, physical techniques, firearms, and other courses
• Language Requirement: Ability to speak and read Spanish, as well as English

How to Apply

Click the Apply button on this site. You will be linked to the CBP Talent Network registration page. For Position of Interest, select Border Patrol Agent, and then complete the pre-screening questions. You’ll then receive a link(s) to the BPA Job Opening Announcements (JOAs) on USAJOBS, the federal government’s official employment site, to complete your application. Be certain to review ALL details of the job opportunity announcement and follow all instructions in the application process, including items (resume, transcripts, etc.) to submit. You will be evaluated based on your resume, supporting documents, and the BPA Entrance Exam. If you have questions about the application process, contact a recruiter through the U.S. Border Patrol page: careers.cbp.gov/s/usbp.