I still don't get it. Assuming it's true that there was a lack of clarity on whether he had the appropriate type of visa, why was he held 10 hours? Why was so much time spent on his case?

And why badger a 70 year old Australian children's book author who had visited the US 116 times previously? [1]

Not to ignore or minimize abuse by CBP officers, but from the CBP perspective, from the tax payers' perspective, what possible value derives from this behavior? Is this purely a result of a lack of leadership, bad management, and hiring unsuitable people for the task?

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/25/australian-c...