> US customs are now _worse_ than they were a month after 9/11 and this time it's not just the ones at airports

Apologies, but "citation needed"?

(As a non-US citizen) I flew into JFK earlier this year and did my (first) Global Entry interview. It was the shortest and most polite immigration interview I've ever had anywhere, and I've had a few.

To be fair global entry is the greased skids of US customs. It's meant to be more efficient.