Re: US Border Controls...
"TBH everything about their border controls is low rent and 3rd world."
Similar show I've seen only in one place: Former Soviet Union border. Except those were competent people, very professional.
If you had all papers (literally) in your hand and those were OK even there I had to queue only once. No automation of course at that time.
Automation is meant to replace the humans in the process, but obviously US border control hasn't quite grasped the idea yet.
Or are protecting their precisious jobs by doing the job twice.