sup! 
Last month my Taiwanese wife came to spend some time here in the US. When she landed in San Francisco, she was pulled aside just before entering the customs hall by a USCBP officer (U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a division of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a.k.a. CBP). The officer asked about her reasons for visiting the US, how long she was planning to stay, how much USD cash she was carrying, etc.
These are questions that are not uncommon for even US citizens in San Francisco. For example, when I returned from Taiwan in March I, too, was pulled aside by CBP and asked similar questions. If you’ve ever disembarked at SFO then you might remember the last long hallway leading into the customs hall; there are long wheelchair ramps on either side and this time each had a CBP officer loitering thereon. This loitering officer thing was new IIRC.
For my wife things took a turn, however, when she was escorted to a room where they were joined by a second CBP officer. The questions escalated to her employment status, questions about her employer, her checking and savings account balances (!), her marriage status (!) and other questions that she doesn’t remember well because by that time she was pretty hot under the collar about the direction the questions had taken. She said the first CBP officer, a female, became rude (in the room) while the second officer, a male, was very polite. After about 30 minutes she was allowed to pass. There were no further issues with US customs; everything that followed was her normal experience there.
She said she also saw a second unaccompanied Taiwanese woman (same flight) pulled into a different room nearby.
Nothing physical happened, but uncharacteristically she still gets upset when she talks about this experience. Like, she gets angrier and angrier the more she talks about it. It derailed a LINE conversation yesterday until she was able to cool off. I’ve known her for almost 25 years and I’ve never seen her need to process anger this slowly. It makes me worry that her experience was very bad indeed.
She returned to Taiwan last week, no issues. Yesterday she visited a co-worker in Hsinchu who asked about her visit to the US. Lo and behold her co-worker had undergone a very similar experience entering the US at SFO earlier this year. Stopped by a female CBP officer before entering the SFO customs hall, then led to a small room where a male CBP officer joined them. Many too-personal questions asked by CBP - especially about income and wealth - then abruptly released. In her case the lengthy interview had caused her to miss her connecting (domestic) flight.
Now, the USA has in place the Visa Waiver Program that allows Taiwanese to purchase inbound airline tickets under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA authorizes landings by Taiwanese (and other) citizens at international airports in the US. Actual admission to the US, however, is granted by CBP based on an interview with CBP officers. So you pay US$4 to apply for the ESTA, then US$17 more if you’re approved. An ESTA buys you an interview with CBP; actual entry into the country depends on the outcome of your interview. My wife knew all this going in.
That said, she thinks she sees a pattern. To wit, unaccompanied Taiwanese women are having issues with an unreasonably nosy CBP in San Francisco. Told her I would try to look into it. A couple hours later, on reddit and the rest of the internet, but no results.
Anybody else having sudden problems in 2023 clearing customs in San Francisco? Perhaps an interview with CBP that seemed uncomfortably personal?
