Job Description

GS-11 Grade Level – updated March 2025 

Border Patrol Agent - Experienced (GS11)

Check out this higher-salaried federal law enforcement opportunity with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Your current or prior law enforcement experience may qualify you for this career opportunity with the nation's premier federal agency charged with securing our borders and protecting our country.

You may qualify for this higher-grade Border Patrol Agent employment opportunity if you have current or prior law enforcement experience. This experience could have been gained as part of a military police assignment or as a member of a state or local law enforcement organization. Take a look at the duties and responsibilities section below to see if you are interested in this federal law enforcement opportunity, and review the qualifications section below to see if you are qualified.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Duty assignments available at the time of offer may include the Southwest Border, including prioritized locations.

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. 

EARN UP TO $30,000 IN RECRUITMENT INCENTIVES –– Newly appointed Border Patrol Agents will be offered a $20,000 incentive. The first $10,000 to be paid upon successfully completing training at the Border Patrol Academy, and the remainder to be paid in full after completing a three-year service agreement. New Agents accepting a prioritized location ( Sierra Blanca, Presidio, Sanderson, Comstock, Freer, and Hebbronville, TX; Lordsburg, NM; or Ajo, AZ ) will be eligible for an additional $10,000. 

The U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) offers those interested in a career in law enforcement an opportunity to work with an elite team of highly trained professionals whose camaraderie, pride, and purpose are hallmarks of their daily mission of protecting America. 

If you seek an exciting and rewarding job that provides excellent pay, exceptional federal benefits, now is the time to make your move. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is hiring immediately for these full-time, career Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) opportunities. 

Salary and Benefits:

Salary for newly appointed law enforcement Border Patrol Agents varies from: 

Base Salary: GS-11 $73,939-$96,116.

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. And a fully trained Border Patrol Agent may be eligible for up to an additional 25% of base pay per the BPA Pay Reform Act of 2014. This is a career ladder position with a grade level progression of GS-11 to GS-12. You will be eligible for a promotion to the next higher grade level (without re-applying) once you successfully complete 52 weeks in the lower grade level. 

All Border Patrol Agents may select from an array of federal employment benefits that include health and insurance plans, a generous annual and sick leave program, and participation in the Thrift Savings Plan, a retirement plan that is similar to traditional and ROTH 401(k) offerings. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

As a Border Patrol Agent (BPA), you will be part of our 60,000+ workforce that strives to protect the American people by safeguarding our borders, deterring illicit activity, and enhancing the nation’s economic prosperity. Being a Border Patrol Agent makes you a valuable member of the Federal Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) profession. Typical activities include: 

• Detecting, preventing, and apprehending undocumented noncitizens and smugglers of noncitizens at or near the land borders by maintaining surveillance from covert positions. 
• Responding to electronic sensor alarms; interpreting and following tracks, marks, and other physical evidence; using infrared scopes during night operations. 
• Responding to aircraft sighting and other anti-smuggling activities and performing farm and ranch checks, traffic checks, city patrols, and transportation checks. 
• Patrolling the international boundary and coastal waterways and using a variety of government assets to accomplish the USBP mission. Assets may include, but are not limited to, motor vehicles, horses, watercraft, off-road vehicles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and motorcycles. 
• Occasional travel may be required based on operational needs. 

Qualifications:

If you have previous or current law enforcement or military law enforcement experience, you may qualify at the GS-11 grade level. 

You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: 

• Developing and utilizing intelligence information to track illegal operations and/or contraband. 
• Leading investigations of fraud, contraband, and/or illegal operations to determine sources and patterns. 
• Utilizing various forms of complex technology that includes surveillance, detection, situation awareness systems, and communications equipment to aid in the apprehension of violators of state, federal, or immigration laws. 
• Communicating assignments and training peers on the application of the appropriate law enforcement problem-solving methods, investigative techniques, and other law enforcement procedures. 
• Working with law enforcement officials or government agencies to identify and/or apprehend violators of state, federal, or immigration laws. 

There are no education substitutions for the GS-11 grade level opportunities. 

Other Requirements: 

Citizenship : You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position. 

Residency : You must have had primary U.S. residency (including protectorates as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. 

Age Restriction : In accordance with Public Law 100-238, this position is covered under law enforcement retirement provisions. Candidates must be referred for selection to the Border Patrol Agent position before reaching their 40th birthday in accordance with Department of Homeland Security Directive 251-03. The age restriction may not apply if you are currently serving or have previously served in a federal civilian law enforcement (non-military) position covered by Title 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) or Title 5 U.S.C. 8412(d). 

Veterans’ Preference : You may also be eligible for an excepted service Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA). The age restriction does not apply if you are Veterans' Preference eligible. 

Formal Training : After you are hired, you will be detailed to the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico, for approximately six (6) months of intensive instruction in immigration and nationality laws, law enforcement, and USBP-specific operations, drivers training, physical techniques, firearms, and other courses. Border Patrol work requires the ability to speak and read Spanish, as well as English. Agents will be provided training to become proficient in the Spanish language at the Academy. 

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]]> <

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