Border Patrol Agents
Career summary
Border patrol agents prevent people, drugs, and weapons from entering the United States illegally.Border patrol agents protect the US's land borders. The border patrol has four main tasks:
- Prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the US
- Detect and prevent the smuggling and unlawful entry of undocumented aliens
- Catch those in violation of immigration laws
- Prevent drugs from entering the country
The border has many official crossings where agents work. Agents monitor people and goods as they pass through the border. They talk to pedestrians and drivers and examine their passports and other required paperwork.
Agents question people in depth if they think they are attempting to smuggle something into the country. Much of the time, however, agents at legal crossings work with law-abiding people.
The border patrol uses many methods to watch the border including:
- Infrared scopes
- Low-light TV systems at night
- Plane surveillance
- Electronic sensors activated by motion, body heat, or weight
Sometimes agents provide care for people trying to cross the border illegally who are too thirsty, hungry, or ill to travel any farther. They evaluate each situation and determine the best way to respond.
Related careers
This career is part of the Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security cluster of careers.
Related careers include:
- Corrections Officers
- Detectives and Investigators
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Police and Detective Supervisors
- Police Patrol Officers
- Security Guards
- Sheriffs
- Transportation Security Screeners
Military careers
Education and training
Educational programs
The programs of study listed below will help you prepare for the occupation or career cluster you are exploring.
Programs of study directly related to this occupation
Other programs of study to consider
Training
To work as a border patrol agent, you typically need to:
- be a US citizen;
- have a driver's license;
- be under age 37;
- have a high school diploma or equivalent;
- have a bachelor's degree or a combination of education and experience;
- pass a background investigation;
- pass a medical exam and be in excellent physical shape;
- meet vision and hearing requirements;
- pass a drug test; and
- pass a written test to qualify for consideration as a border patrol agent.
It takes about six to ten months to be hired as a border patrol agent. First, you must register and answer questions about your qualifications. If you meet the minimum requirements, then you must pass a written test. You may need to travel to another city to take this exam. If you pass the written test, you are put on a list where your order is determined by your scores. Depending on your scores, you may be interviewed. If you pass the interview, you're given the medical, vision, and hearing exams and physical fitness tests. The background check is conducted at this stage. If you pass all of these steps, then your name is put on another list and you wait for a job opening.
Education after high school
A bachelor's degree is not required, but it is one way to qualify for this occupation. Your degree can be in any area. However, a degree in criminal justice, law enforcement, police science, or Spanish can be an advantage.
Work experience
Certain types of work experience can help you qualify for this occupation. The border patrol is looking for people who have experience doing one or more of the following:
- taking charge, making sound decisions, and maintaining composure in stressful situations;
- learning law enforcement regulations, methods, and techniques; or
- gathering factual information through questioning, observing, and examining documents and records.
Examples of occupations that might provide these types of experience are journalist, building guard, jail guard, customer relations worker, claims adjuster, or human services worker.
On-the-job training
Border patrol agents spend 55 days in training at the Border Patrol Academy in New Mexico. You are paid for the time you spend at this training. While there, you take courses in immigration, criminal, and nationality law. These courses teach you to recognize what is a violation of law and what actions to take. If you are not fluent in Spanish, you will learn basic conversational Spanish. In addition, you will study Border Patrol Operations. This is a course in police training, with a focus on border patrol issues.
At the academy you will also receive training in three areas. In firearms training you learn to shoot guns safely. Physical training is designed to get your fitness to a desired level. Finally, you will receive drivers training. You learn to operate vehicles safely while driving at a high rate of speed or off road.
You receive additional training on the job after you graduate from the academy.
Military training
A background in the military is good preparation for this occupation. Any military occupation will help you qualify to be a border patrol agent. Being a military law enforcement and security specialist could be an advantage. Some branches of the military train people for these positions. Training lasts from five to 12 weeks, depending on your specialty. Additional training occurs on the job.
Helpful high school courses
You should take a general high school curriculum that meets the state's graduation requirements . You will be required to take both math and science classes to graduate.
Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:
- Criminology
- Driver Education
- Military ROTC
- Physical Education
- Psychology
- Safety and First Aid
- Spanish
The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.
You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.
Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Here are examples of activities and groups that may be available in your high school or community.
Things to know
Being a border patrol agent can be strenuous. You may need to run or lift heavy items. Because of these physical demands, you must pass fitness tests. You must be able to do the following:
- complete 20 proper form push-ups in 60 seconds;
- complete 25 proper form sit-ups in 60 seconds; and
- complete a step test in which you step up onto a 12-inch step 30 times each minute for five minutes.
To graduate from the border patrol academy you must be able to:
- run 1.5 miles in 13 minutes or less;
- run a 220-yard dash in 46 seconds or less; and
- complete the confidence course in 2.5 minutes or less.
Currently, there are about 11,000 border patrol agents which makes this a very small occupation. However, this occupation is growing and new agents are being actively recruited.
As a patrol agent, you wear a uniform and carry a gun.
Agents often work weekends and overtime. They also work shifts, which means you may work evenings or nights.
Agents may be sent on temporary assignments on short notice. They also may be permanently reassigned to another part of the country.
Agents work in all types of weather. Those on the southern border work in intense heat in the summer. Those who work on the northern border work in intense cold in the winter. The terrain you work in may be the desert or a thick forest.
Agents must be able to pass random drug tests.
Your first two years on the job are a trial period. Your performance and conduct must meet certain criteria for you to be offered a permanent job. Your first six months on the job is a probationary period.
Depending on your experience, you will be hired at the GL-5, GL-7, or GL-9 grade level. After six months you are eligible to be promoted one level and receive a raise. In addition, you can earn more money by working overtime. You also receive benefits. These include vacation pay and sick leave. You receive several types of insurance--health, life, and long-term health care. Finally, you receive retirement benefits and a uniform allowance.
Other resources
National Treasury Employees Union
1750 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
202.572.5500
US Customs and Border Protection
US Customs and Border Protection: Border Patrol Overview
References
Career cluster
Career path
- Realistic (Technical)
DOT occupation
COPSystem
- Service Skilled