yes, this is one of the reasons i never take flights that transit thru the US. their border situation is atrocious, and the fact that I have to enter their country for a transit is simply kafka-esque. instead of being a civilised country when it comes to transit they’re basically the belarus of north america.
To be honest, any country that wants to arrest you would have no issues with grabbing you from the transit lounge/terminal.
It costs the US airlines and airports a lot of business because US requirements to enter are difficult while other countries just use their brain and help out their airlines by permitting transit-without-entry.
