I am new to this site but this is an incident that happened to me a year ago. I was traveling with a group and we landed in Miami from an international flight to catch our flight home to Atl. After a very long time waiting on our baggage we proceeded through customs without any problems. It took about 30 minutes of standing in line. We were able to proceed to a different area of the airport right out from customs to check our bags for our connecting flight. We were in a small room ( about 30' x 40' ) standing in line waiting to check our luggage when the call of nature hit. There were not any restrooms in the room we were in and through a sliding glass door that led out of the room I couls see the restrooms. So I advised my group that I would be right back. So leaving my luggage with them I proceeded to the restroom. No markings at all or posted signs saying that once you left the room you would not be allowed back into the room. About 3 minutes later I returned to the room and found the doors only opened out. So I waited for someone to come out and I went back inside. Sensing that they my not want total strangers walking in I went to the security guard in the room and advised him what I had done and I was going to join back up with my group. At that moment life change: ) You would have thought I had created an international incident. There voices went up about 20 octives and they were livad that I left the room. They refused for me to stay in the room even though I had all my airline ticket, drivers license and about 50 people that said I was with them. Well they called more people and more people came. When they got there it was the same thing. They told me I had to leave the room and go around and check in through the normal check in area. It then became an act of congress to get my bags that were loaded on a cart with every one elses bags. I pointed out to them that it would have been nice for some kind of sign to be posted if you left this room you could not return. For some reason that really pissed them off. So if you come through the internation side beware of what they WON'T tell you.

I belive that this is true at most airports for international arrivals and is not unique to MIA, although I may be mistaken.