Thank you . The process as described is clear HOWEVER, the reason for my question is 4 yrs ago when returning from COZ thru DFW en route to YYZ on AA we did exactly as described and were told we had to collect our bags at the carousel then proceed thru US customs and drop the bags at the bag drop. The bags never came and we tried to fill out lost bag forms or let someone from AA know but there was no one and we only had a short connection. We we're told by US customs no less it happens a lot on AA and you won't be able to get anywhere until you get to Toronto. So we left for YYZ and spent an hour filling out forms only to see our bags come off the carousel from DFW in Toronto
Thus my confusion.
I will look for the bags in MIA I've got a 3 hr layover