US Plans to Halt Immigration Processing at Sanctuary City Airports

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed the Trump administration is drawing up plans to stop immigration and customs processing at major airports in sanctuary cities. The Silicon Review reports on the escalating clash with Democratic-led cities.

The Trump administration is drawing up plans to halt immigration and customs processing at major airports in so-called sanctuary cities, a dramatic escalation of the White House's clash with Democratic-led jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed the planning, though he emphasized no final decision has been made. "We are currently drawing up plans," Mullin said, adding that "we shouldn't be processing international flights into their cities" where "local radical left Democrats aren't allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws."

The move would effectively stop all international passenger and cargo arrivals at airports in sanctuary cities. The Justice Department has published a list of jurisdictions that impede federal immigration enforcement, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia, and Newark.

Last week, Mullin privately warned travel industry executives that his department could withdraw Customs and Border Protection officers from airports serving these cities. The message was a real proposal being considered by the administration, one person familiar with the meeting told The Atlantic, calling the potential impact on the airline industry devastating.

The timing is particularly sensitive. The FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off in the United States next month, with millions of international visitors expected to arrive. More than 50 million international travelers arrived at the three major New York airports alone last year.

The travel industry has reacted with alarm. Airlines for America, representing major passenger and cargo carriers, said reducing customs staffing at major airports would cause significant operational disruption to carriers, travelers, and the flow of international cargo. The US Travel Association warned of devastating consequences for communities dependent on international visitation.

Mullin first publicly floated the threat in April during a dispute over DHS funding. Democrats had withheld funding for the department to force reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shootings of two US citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents.

As the Trump administration draws up plans to halt immigration processing at sanctuary city airports, The Silicon Review examines how this high-stakes showdown with Democratic-led cities could disrupt international travel, cripple local economies, and force a constitutional confrontation over federal authority weeks before the World Cup.