For now, it likely serves a few purposes: to cross-reference information in the database, as a legitimate reason to deny someone who may have lied to the office

For now, it likely serves a few purposes: to cross-reference information in the database, as a legitimate reason to deny someone who may have lied to the officer, to uncover new information about the individual [1] & to decrease the need of a court order. The best course of action a civilian can do is to put pressure on their govs to create a system that protects their perceived interests. [1] Since the person can't tell what kind of information the immigration office has, they are more likely to over-present