The term that I've heard used for this is sterile transit. I'm not aware of any US airports having it.
Both times they didn't have enough staff to man the separate customs desk, and ran us through a general customs hall.
I prefer via Dubai, Hong Kong, or Shanghai. Border control officers there, while still clearly doing their job meticulously, manage to be polite as well.
The idea is that you "enter the country" when going out from the main part of the airport, but you can go from any arriving flight to any departing flight without doing so, and most of the facilities - shops, waiting rooms, etc - are 'inside the zone' as well.