Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is putting Democrat-run sanctuary cities on notice: Cooperation with federal immigration enforcement is non-negotiable.
Either obey federal law, or you could lose your international airports.
Mullin told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday that the Trump administration is preparing a plan to pull Customs and Border Protection officers from major international airports in sanctuary cities.
It is a move that would effectively halt all incoming international passenger and cargo flights at some of the busiest airports in the country.
“We’re currently drawing up plans,” Mullin told Hannity. Cities “where the local radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities.”
The announcement was timed to hit hardest. The expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup kicks off June 11 in Mexico City, and has international matches scheduled across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Millions of international tourists are expected to stream into the U.S. over the following month. More than 50 million international travelers arrived at New York’s three major airports alone last year.
The cities in the crosshairs are all Democratic strongholds. The DOJ’s official sanctuary city list, published in October 2025, includes Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle and San Francisco — all home to major international aviation hubs. LAX and JFK have been specifically named as potential targets.
The immediate flashpoint driving the escalation is Newark, New Jersey, where protesters have blockaded the Delaney Hall federal immigration detention center for days.
Mullin said local police refused to assist federal agents entering and exiting the facility.
“Because they don’t want us to enforce immigration, but they want us to process immigration at their facilities?” Mullin said. “Nothing about that makes sense to me.”
🚨 HUGE DEVELOPMENT: Sec. Markwayne Mullin announces DHS is drawing up plans to BLOCK ALL international flights into sanctuary cities by ending Customs screening there
This would DEVASTATE those cities.
Mullin is doing it as a direct result of sanctuaries refusing to cooperate… pic.twitter.com/GRHOWtdipv
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 27, 2026
There has been pushback on Mullin from inside the Trump administration itself. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that Mullin’s threat was untrue.
“We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics,” Duffy said flatly.
The travel industry reacted with alarm. Airlines for America, the nation’s largest airline trade group, warned that pulling CBP staffing from major airports “would have a devastating effect on the airline and tourism industries, causing a significant operational disruption to carriers, travelers, and the flow of international cargo.” The U.S. Travel Association also condemned the proposal, urging governments to promote the “free and efficient flow of legitimate travelers.”
So far, the plan remains just a plan. Mullin stressed Tuesday that no final decision has been made.