Originally Posted by
mikew99
I think you are fishing for the answer you want to hear.
It might have been a random inspection, or you might have been targeted. I haven't yet read anything that rules out either possibility.
Edited to add: I know that when immigration writes a "1" in a circle, I usually sail through customs -- though not always. Does anyone know what "CXL" (or similar) might indicate?
A circled number is how many people in your family. It tells the guys at the end how many people to let out of the hall when given the card.