Develop and maintain contact with a network of informants. Correctional or rehabilitation work involving criminal offenders, or residents in public or private institutions. Criminal investigation, police officer, or other law enforcement work that required the ability to plan and conduct investigations, plan and make arrests, serve court orders, use firearms, and deal with people in a persuasive, tactful, and resourceful manner. For positions at GS-9 and above, experience must have included interpreting and enforcing Immigration and Naturalization Service or comparable laws, rules, and regulations. Those who are fluent in the Spanish language will be given the choice of taking the ALT or a Spanish proficiency test.
All positions require qualification in the use of firearms.
Proficiency with standard issue firearms must be demonstrated for successful completion of training. All Agents are required to carry a handgun in the performance of their duties, and to qualify periodically with that handgun. They must qualify to operate motor vehicles in accordance with applicable government regulations after they are hired. These include judgment, problem solving, emotional stability, and interpersonal skills. Under the authority of Public Law 100-238, the U. S. Department of Justice has established the date immediately preceding one's 37th birthday as the maximum age for original entry into the position of Border Patrol Agent.