Originally Posted by
kwflyer
Not necessarily avoiding anything, But managing expectation's that's covers all possible scenarios regardless of perceived frequency. There's many ways to get a permanent referral. One of them is not answering questions.
Frequency matters in practical terms. There aren't that many ways to get permanently referred to secondary at US ports of entry, but a recognized US citizen's refusal to answer questions beyond that on a printed declaration form isn't generally a direct route to permanent referral to secondary. Most frequently, it isn't.