What does a border patrol agent do?
A border patrol agent is a government employee who provides the security of international land borders and coastal waters between ports of entry. Border patrol agents are required to apprehend illegal border crossers, criminals, and terrorists from crossing a country to stop them from carrying out illegal activities and attacks. They work closely with other local and federal agencies to ensure legal immigrants, enterprises, and commerce remain unimpeded. Border patrol agents must also use electronic surveillance equipment and respond to electronic sensor alarms in remote areas.
Border patrol agent responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real border patrol agent resumes:
- Manage surveillance of DUI traffic offenders in Jacksonville
- Interview U.S. citizens to accomplish anti-terrorism and anti-smuggling mission.
- Certify in CPR and license by S.L.E.D.
- Document incidents, apply wound care, and administer CPR.
- Supervise immigration processing including expedite removals, NTAs, and I-160as.
- Determine U.S. citizenship and processing immigrant visa case work and Sevis forms.
- Interact with various agencies within DHS during the course of positive B10 inspections.
- Train in areas of immigration enforcement, firearms, physical fitness, and basic Spanish
- Perform record checks on subjects utilizing TECS, ACJIS, and NCIC criminal information systems.
- Receive reports from the field, transpose them into standardized CBP vernacular and disseminate them to the proper personnel.
- Investigate and complete reports for CBP employee on-duty and off-duty incidents and submit the same into the CBP database.
- Collaborate with retailers and corporations by responding to thefts, reviewing CCTV recordings, and supporting loss prevention efforts.
- Monitor entire facility using CCTV while also monitoring all security, access, fire, building and alarm systems.
- Use a variety of law enforcement databases and information retrieval systems, such as TECS, NCIC, and ATS.
- Maintain physical standards and firearms proficiency.
Border patrol agent skills and personality traits
We calculated that 72% of Border Patrol Agents are proficient in Patrol, CBP, and DHS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Good judgment, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Border Patrol Agents that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patrol, 72%
Operated traffic checkpoints, conducted city patrol and transportation checks, and processed detailed immigration reports for administrative/criminal removal proceedings.
- CBP, 14%
Received reports from the field, transpose them into standardized CBP vernacular and disseminate them to the proper personnel.
- DHS, 2%
Managed and imputed data into the E3 and C.E.T.S databases that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) utilizes.
- Federal Laws, 2%
Understand and appropriately enforcement federal laws.
- Illegal Entry, 2%
Detect and prevented smuggling or illegal entry of unknown person or narcotics into the country.
- Spanish Language, 1%
Participated in task-based Spanish language program.
Common skills that a border patrol agent uses to do their job include "patrol," "cbp," and "dhs." You can find details on the most important border patrol agent responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a border patrol agent to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." Additionally, a border patrol agent resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "supported enforcement operations of federal and local agencies, through the monitoring of communication links"
Good judgment. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling border patrol agent duties is good judgment. The role rewards competence in this skill because "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." According to a border patrol agent resume, here's how border patrol agents can utilize good judgment in their job responsibilities: "compose concise, in-depth reports regarding actions and judgments to assist government prosecutors in civil and criminal cases. "
Leadership skills. border patrol agents are also known for leadership skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to border patrol agent responsibilities, because "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." A border patrol agent resume example shows how leadership skills is used in the workplace: "patrol and monitored the facility the assigned area kept clients in a safe environment leadership/activities"
Physical strength. A big part of what border patrol agents do relies on "physical strength." You can see how essential it is to border patrol agent responsibilities because "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical border patrol agent tasks: "maintained physical standards and firearms proficiency. "
The three companies that hire the most border patrol agents are:
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection19,170 border patrol agents jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable border patrol agent resume templates
Build a professional border patrol agent resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your border patrol agent resume.
Compare different border patrol agents
Border patrol agent vs. Public safety officer
Public relations assistants are professionals who are responsible for creating and distributing promotional materials to help clients increase their public image and awareness of their products and services. These assistants are required to help develop and distribute public relations materials such as brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, and sell sheets. They must handle all the communications of their clients to the public by supervising social media content, press releases, and emails. Public relations assistants must also gather materials to be used in trade shows or client presentations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a border patrol agent are more likely to require skills like "cbp," "dhs," "illegal entry," and "spanish language." On the other hand, a job as a public safety officer requires skills like "patients," "public safety," "customer service," and "emergency situations." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Public safety officers earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $38,645. On the other hand, border patrol agents are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $54,476.public safety officers tend to reach similar levels of education than border patrol agents. In fact, public safety officers are 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Border patrol agent vs. Campus safety officer
A campus safety officer ensures the safety and security of individuals and facilities within campus premises. They patrol their assigned areas to look out for any suspicious behavior or activities and secure properties by locking or unlocking doors, arming security systems, and monitoring surveillance cameras and other alarms. They are also responsible for enforcing rules and regulations, conducting regular inspections, warning violators, and confronting or detaining violators when the situation requires. Moreover, a campus safety officer is often the first to respond to distress or emergencies, and they must contact emergency responders right away.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real border patrol agent resumes. While border patrol agent responsibilities can utilize skills like "cbp," "dhs," "illegal entry," and "spanish language," campus safety officers use skills like "criminal justice," "medical emergencies," "public safety," and "emergency situations."
On average, campus safety officers earn a lower salary than border patrol agents. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, campus safety officers earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $35,976. Whereas border patrol agents have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $54,476.In general, campus safety officers achieve similar levels of education than border patrol agents. They're 0.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Border patrol agent vs. Peace officer
A ranger is responsible for protecting and conserving natural resources and environmental conditions. Rangers coordinate with environmental institutions and landowners to identify land conservation strategies to prevent destructible threats of wildfires and calamities. They also monitor the operations within the forests and parks, evaluating efficient development through scientific methodologies and research studies. A ranger creates reports of cost estimates for conservation efforts, authorizing various land operations upon inspection to mitigate the risks of pollution and other hazardous circumstances.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from border patrol agent resumes include skills like "cbp," "dhs," "illegal entry," and "spanish language," whereas a peace officer is more likely to list skills in "public safety," "motor vehicle," "emergency situations," and "police academy. "
Peace officers typically earn similar educational levels compared to border patrol agents. Specifically, they're 3.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Border patrol agent vs. Ranger
Types of border patrol agent
Updated January 8, 2025
