Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration is drawing up plans that would halt customs and immigration processing of international travelers and cargo at major U.S. airports located in cities described as "sanctuary cities." The comments came in an interview on Fox News Channel with Sean Hannity, broadcast on Tuesday.
Mullin told the program that he has met with White House officials to discuss the option, but he emphasized that no decision has yet been taken on whether to move forward with the plan. He characterized the measure as one of several possible steps under consideration.
Earlier this month, Mullin privately informed U.S. travel executives that the Department of Homeland Security could choose to stop customs and immigration processing for international travelers, according to reports last week. In his public comments on the Fox News interview, he named a group of major U.S. metropolitan areas where airports could be subject to such measures, including:
- Denver
- Philadelphia
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- New York City
- Newark
- Seattle
- San Francisco
Mullin framed the potential action as a response to cities that have declined to cooperate with an immigration crackdown. He reiterated that discussions with White House officials have occurred, but that a definitive course of action has not been selected.
The secretary's remarks follow private briefings to industry executives earlier this month in which the suspension of processing was described as an option under consideration by the department. Mullin's public interview repeated those points while underlining the provisional status of any plan.
At this stage, officials have described potential targets in multiple large metropolitan areas, but have not announced specific operational steps, timelines, or the mechanics that would be used to implement any suspension of customs and immigration services.
Clear summary: The Department of Homeland Security, led by Secretary Markwayne Mullin, is preparing options that could stop customs and immigration processing for international passengers and cargo at major airports in cities the administration calls "sanctuary cities." Mullin has discussed the possibility with White House officials and previously alerted travel industry leaders, but he said no final decision has been reached.