DHS threatens to halt customs processing at airports in sanctuary cities

DHS threatens to halt customs processing at airports in sanctuary cities

May 28, 2026/
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By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

Major airports across the country could soon freeze customs processing and cancel all international flights if sanctuary cities continue bucking federal immigration enforcement operations.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned that he might pull out Customs and Border Patrol agents from airports in sanctuary cities. CBP agents are responsible for performing security inspections of international travelers, so a complete withdrawal would cripple airports’ processing of international flights.

Mullin said that because sanctuary cities forbid local law enforcement from working with federal immigration agents and generally allow rowdy protests against agents, DHS will “have to decide where we’re going to prioritize our federal employees.”

“We’ve got to prioritize federal police officers, and that may affect international flights coming in and out of their airport. Because I’m going to have to pull Customs and Border Protection officers out of being able to process international flights and put them helping our ICE agents,” Mullin told FOX News in a clip posted Thursday.

“If things don’t change, we’re going to have to make this step pretty quick,” he added. “Because I’m not going to put my employees and my ICE agents at risk.”

Mullin’s plan, if carried out, would force airlines to halt all international flights to the impacted airports, triggering an economic and logistical nightmare for the airline and tourism industries.

Airports DHS would target include New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport; Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport; Boston’s Logan International Airport; Denver International Airport; Philadelphia International Airport; Newark Liberty International Airport; Los Angeles International Airport; San Francisco International Airport; Portland International Airport; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; and potentially others.

Removing CBP agents from those airports would also create a ripple effect on airports in non-sanctuary jurisdictions. Those airports could get overwhelmed by increased flights and passengers rerouted from the international travel hubs targeted by DHS.

Mullin’s ultimatum is the latest example of the Trump administration pressuring Democrat-led states and cities to comply with federal immigration enforcement operations.

The administration has sued multiple jurisdictions in California, Illinois, New York, Colorado for enacting policies that violate federal immigration law. President Donald Trump has also threatened to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities.

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