Why is passport control called passport control when it's checking passports?

Just a linguistic question. I'm a teacher of English for non-natives and I had hard time unteaching my students of 'check' instead of 'control'(in some languages they're synonyms). So why is it passport control when the guys at airports etc.are checking passports and not controlling them?Why is passport control called passport control when it's checking passports?
I suppose that they could call themselves ';Passport Inspection,'; but they can have you arrested even if your passport is perfectly valid. So the word Control implies what goes on behind the scenes.Why is passport control called passport control when it's checking passports?
You are most welcome. Thank YOU!

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They are controlling who they let in. They aren't controlling the passports themselves.

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