Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has floated pulling Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, a move that could affect international travel in Democratic-led sanctuary cities. The Department of Homeland Security said it is already drawing up plans, even as the White House has not approved the idea.
The proposal would reach far beyond Newark if it is adopted. Without customs agents, passengers and cargo cannot move internationally, and Americans returning from overseas would also be affected. Democrats warned that removing officers from blue-city airports would shut down international travel at major hubs, while the travel industry issued backlash within hours of Mullin’s comments last week.
Republicans were split, but several supported the basic premise that cities resisting federal immigration enforcement should face consequences. Sen. Lindsey Graham said there should be consequences for cities and states that undercut federal law and said they should pay a price for what they do. Sen. Deb Fischer said sanctuary cities had made that choice and were now getting a response from Homeland Security. Others on the GOP side were less certain. Sen. Josh Hawley said, “I don't know about this,” while Sen. Ashley Moody and Sen. Lisa Murkowski said they needed to learn more about it.
The Newark fight is the most immediate version of the idea. Last week, Mullin said he would pull CBP officers from Newark International Airport because of continued protests at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility run by a private contractor. After New Jersey increased support at the site, he told reporters in Dallas on Friday that there was no need to remove customs officers from Newark Airport. But he also said he still had a plan to begin removing officers from other international airports in Democratic-led sanctuary cities.
That leaves the policy in a volatile middle ground: a public threat has been narrowed for Newark, but the broader airport plan remains under consideration. A DHS spokesperson said the agency is drawing up plans for sanctuary cities where local radical left Democrats are not allowing DHS to do its job and enforce federal laws. In April 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Justice Department to identify jurisdictions that violate, obstruct and defy federal immigration laws, and the department listed 18 sanctuary cities, including New York City, Newark, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
The unresolved question is how far the administration is prepared to go. If the White House signs off, the plan could force a direct confrontation at airports serving some of the country’s largest cities. If it does not, the warning to sanctuary cities may remain a political threat rather than an operational one.
