Originally Posted by
Often1
Well, OP lists PWM as his location, so I'm presuming that he at least a resident in the US if not a citizen. So, I don't think that tourism is much of a worry.
The tiny POE's can be like that (or not). Nothing going on and 3 Officers, so all 3 make a big deal about OP.
Land crossings by "tourists" are a key part of keeping border communities in rather rural states (or parts thereof) from becoming less economically vibrant. Being able to easily shop for gas and other cheaper stuff across the border and return without being harassed for it benefits the communities on both sides of the border. And yet due to US CBP's excessive paranoia and the governmental staffing to enable such paranoia, we have US CBP undermining the legal economic interests of US persons by frustrating legal cross-border trade.
Legal cross-border trade by day-tripping tourists too is in the collective interests of US persons. And yet CBP is undermining such collective gains from legal cross-border trade because of its paranoia and staffing enabling such undermining of US interests. Welcome to the situational irony whereby "security" undermines economic security and more.