IMO, what irritates a lot of returning US citizens (esp FTers) is that the officers performing the immigration function oftentimes ask questions that have nothing to do with verifying the returning travelers right to enter the USA.

The 'immigration' officers seem to be performing prescreening for those performing the traditional customs function.

With the agencies combined, I can see some of that happening, although I disagree with it, but a lot of it also went on when INS and Customs were separate.

We are used to going to countries where you basically just get stamped in by immigration folks, and customs is separate and is what it is. Moreover, we observe oftentimes in adjacent lines for returning citizens for those countries, that from an immigration perspective, their own citizens just get stamped in also.

Why can't our CBP stamp in its own returning citizens, like I see at most of the other places I go? Why the 3rd degree for returning US Citizens?