The Trump Administration is preparing contingency plans that could stop the processing of international flights at airports located in sanctuary cities, according to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Speaking Tuesday on Fox News, Mullin said the Administration is not yet initiating the policy but is drawing up plans. His comments followed protests outside an immigration detention facility in Newark over the Memorial Day weekend.
Mullin argued that cities limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement should not expect federal immigration processing at their airports. He has raised similar points before, including last month and during recent discussions with airline and travel industry leaders, where reports said he considered reducing Customs and Border Protection staffing at airports in sanctuary jurisdictions.
Sanctuary cities are jurisdictions with policies that restrict how much local officials cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The rules differ by location, but many large Democratic-led cities, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and others, have adopted such policies. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement a central policy priority and has sought to limit federal support for sanctuary jurisdictions.
The Administration has not identified which airports could be affected. However, a previous Justice Department list of sanctuary jurisdictions included cities with major international hubs, such as New York, Newark, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Airports including JFK, Newark Liberty, Los Angeles International, Chicago O’Hare, and San Francisco International handle large volumes of international travel.
The practical effect of any policy remains unclear, including whether flights would be canceled, rerouted, or delayed. Former DHS official Juliette Kayyem and immigration analyst Aaron Reichlin-Melnick warned that widespread cancellations could disrupt travelers and airlines across regions. Supporters of stricter enforcement have not yet detailed how the proposal would align airport operations with immigration priorities in practice nationwide.