Originally Posted by
terrier
Sure, it's possible. At the time I was on my way to a family wedding, and thus was not willing to call such a bluff or take a stand on principle over information that the US government already has from my tax filings.
If they'd demanded email or phone or social media passwords or something, the calculus might have been different.
If they were simply asking your occupation, they would also have that from the line on your passport application. CBP officers definitely have immediate access to passport application info, I had a guy who kept demanding to know if the destination address I listed on the blue form was my home address ("none of your business") and when I later FOIA'd the records of the inspection he had made notes that my destination address was different from the address I listed on my passport application.
I recommend using FOIA to get the notes of your secondary inspections, they can be quite interesting.