For those who think this is overly paranoid: a few years ago, my partner had been in the US for years on an active visa and we had just taken a quick weekend tr

For those who think this is overly paranoid: a few years ago, my partner had been in the US for years on an active visa and we had just taken a quick weekend trip out of the country. On return to the US, we went through different lines. I breezed through customs. She was held up by CBP, detained in a holding cell for hours. She was not allowed to contact me - or anyone - during this time. They took her phone, scanned it with their software and found a conversation in a messaging app from several years ago where she had joked with a family member about crazy ways you could technically get a green card. They interpreted this as malicious intent, rejected her entry, and physically destroyed her visa paperwork and work authorization cards. After about 6 hours, a CBP officer called me to tell me they were denying her entry and would allow me to pick which flight she left the country on as long as it left within 24 hours. I bought her a light that left in about 8 hours. I went home and cried. 2 hours before the flight was supposed to leave, I got a call from her. There was a shift change for the CBP workers and the incoming supervisor didn’t agree with what the previous shift had done. He let her into the country, with no paperwork other than a letter that stated her visa documents were “accidentally destroyed” and he recommended she leave the country permanently. Customs and Border Patrol are no joke. That can and will ruin your life on a complete whim. In her case it all started with a random screening which led them to searching her phone for any reason they could to reject her. The only reason she didn’t leave the county is I happened to pick an outgoing flight late enough that the next shift decided to review the previous shift’s decision.