For a European with dual citizenship, will US immigration link two passports to the same identity?

Question

I have a friend who travels back and forth from Europe to the States quite often. She is always hassled and threatened to be sent back coming through US Immigration. She has dual French and Norwegian citizenship. She has always used her French passport because that is where she has lived for 10+ years.

My question is would it be possible for her to use her Norwegian passport next time to avoid being stopped at immigration because she has never used that passport to come into the States? Or does that not matter and CBP tracks her moves whether she uses her French or Norwegian passport? She has never overstayed her visa-free admission period of 90 days in the US, but they still threaten to send her back every time, she is just trying to avoid this.

Answer 1

No, this won't help at all.

The ESTA application process requires you to disclose other passports that you have so, if your friend filled out her previous ESTA forms correctly, she has already linked her French and Norwegian passports to her identity. She will also have to make a new ESTA application for her Norwegian passport which, again, requires her to disclose details of her French passport. If she lies then, on arrival, she'll be linked to her French passport anyway by her fingerprints and photograph and will very likely be refused entry for deception.

She needs to deal with whatever it is that's causing the hassle. For example, if they think she can't support her trip, she should bring bank statements to prove she has enough money. If they think she might not go back to France, she needs to provide evidence of her commitments there (employment contract, ownership of significant property such as a house or car, etc.)