Will AI replace customs and border protection officers?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 49m of a typical shift is made up of tasks that AI or robots have done on their own in real use somewhere. That doesn't mean those hours are automated in a typical workplace. The other 5h 11m (65%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.5% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 11 tasks, about 2h 49m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Examine immigration applications, visas, and passports and interview persons to determine eligibility for admission, residence, and travel in the U.S. (2h 49m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 1 more task has only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so it stays with people here. For 3 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

5h 11m of a typical shift, or 65%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Inspect cargo, baggage, and personal articles entering or leaving U.S. for compliance with revenue laws and U.S. customs regulations. (1h 46m a shift)
• Record and report job-related activities, findings, transactions, violations, discrepancies, and decisions. (1h 3m a shift)
• Locate and seize contraband, undeclared merchandise, and vehicles, aircraft, or boats that contain such merchandise. (42m a shift)
• Interpret and explain laws and regulations to travelers, prospective immigrants, shippers, and manufacturers. (32m a shift)
• Detain persons found to be in violation of customs or immigration laws and arrange for legal action, such as deportation. (26m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 98% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 76% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 76% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious

On Indeed, job postings in the Security & Public Safety sector are at 119% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 4.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 52,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $76,210 a year ($36.64 an hour), 49% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $47,510 and $115,120 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 3.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 717,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 52,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 671,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.43% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 59th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 717,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 39% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 11m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: IBM WebSphere MQ, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Detectives and Criminal Investigators (1h 3m touched, $94k median pay)
• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (1h 47m touched, $76k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 10 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.