Originally Posted by
Often1
This is the winner.
Many of the sub-threads in this lengthy thread are from people who were less than honest with CBP over things which, had they been honest, would have most likely not caused a ripple.
The test here isn't whether you can convince yourself that you are being truthful, it is being truthful and staying far away from the line.
Also worth remembering that just because some local court expunged or sealed your record doesn't mean that the feds don't have a "copy" in their various databases and that answering "no" when the Officer can see it in front of him is the kiss of death. The answer is, "yes, I was arrested, but the file was sealed back in XXXX...."
We know of two cases of friends who were initially denied and then later approved. One was for an omission of the type you mention and then a lot of explaining and documentation was required for a review. The other was for an a supposed youthful indiscretion that should have been expunged but was never done by the court in question. I do think one of the benefits of going through the process is that you know what is in government databases about you and you can correct if necessary.