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In a previous life, I worked for US Customs as a customs inspector. One of the reasons we were trained to ask questions wasn't because we were really interested in your trip, but to find inconsistencies in your answers. This would help determine whether or not you got to go through the "green" door or the "red" door. At least with USCS, it was all about enticing passengers to trip up.

I'm not proud of this, and this weighed heavily on my conscience, which is one of the reasons why I left. Some people have no qualms about trying to entrap others, and these individuals make good federal LEOs. I realized that I would either have to ignore my conscience or find another line of work. I chose the latter.

Personally, having read the article and having been on both sides of the Customs desk, I'd not recommend this tactic unless (1) you're an attorney, and/or (2) you know full well what you're doing. CBP has search and seizure powers that supercede some 4th Amendment protections (so-called "border search exceptions"). They can make your life rather miserable. I can't begin to tell you how many "breaks" compliant passengers received, and how many secondary inspections passengers with an attitude got.