Border Patrol Agent - Experienced

Border Patrol Agent (BPA) – Experienced (GL-9 / GS-11)

SAME MISSION, NEW DRIVE! Protect your community and the nation’s borders as a United States Border Patrol Agent. This full‑time, career position is open to candidates with prior law enforcement officer (LEO) experience.

USBP is offering up to $60,000 in additional incentives to newly appointed Agents, including a $20,000 recruitment incentive and up to $40,000 in retention incentives.

• Base Salary: GL‑9/GS‑11, $65,545–$124,717 per year
• Locality Pay:
  Varies by duty location
• Overtime Pay:
  Up to 25%

Agents also receive a $20,000 recruitment incentive, paid in two installments, and may qualify for up to $40,000 in retention incentives over the first four years.

• 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
• Grand Forks Sector Stations – Pembina
• Havre Sector Stations – Havre, Malta, Plentywood, Scobey, Sweetgrass
• Houlton 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

As a BPA, you will be part of a 60,000+ workforce that safeguards the American people by protecting our borders, deterring illicit activity, and enhancing national economic prosperity.

• Detecting and questioning people suspected of violating immigration and customs laws and inspecting documents and possessions to determine citizenship or violations.
• Preventing and apprehending aliens and smugglers of aliens at or near the borders by maintaining surveillance from covert positions, including using infrared scopes during night operations.
• Interpreting and following tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry of persons or contraband.
• Performing farm checks, building checks, traffic checks, city patrols, and transportation checks.
• Patrolling the international boundary and coastal waterways using a variety of government assets such as vehicles, horses, vessels, watercraft, off‑road vehicles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and motorcycles.

• 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.
• Proficient in the use of firearms, preparing investigative reports, serving court orders (e.g., warrants, subpoenas), and gathering evidence for criminal cases prosecuted through the court system.

• Utilizing intelligence information to track illegal operations, criminal activity, threats to our nation, and/or contraband while serving as a state, federal, or military law enforcement official.
• Leading investigations of fraud, contraband, criminal activity, threats to our nation, and/or illegal operations to determine sources and patterns while serving as a state, federal, or military law enforcement official.
• Apprehending violators of state, federal, or immigration laws by utilizing complex technology such as surveillance, detection, situational awareness systems, and communication equipment.

There are no education substitutions for the GL‑9 or GS‑11 grade‑level Border Patrol Agent opportunities.

• 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:
  Candidates must be referred before their 40th birthday. Exemptions may apply for veterans or current federal civilian law‑enforcement personnel.
• Veteran Preference:
  Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA) may exempt the age restriction.
• Formal Training:
  After hiring, agents are detailed to the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, NM for approximately six months of intensive instruction.
• Language:
  Must be able to read and speak English and Spanish.

For more information, visit careers.cbp.gov/s/usbp.