Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin unveiled a new proposal on Monday night to eliminate Customs and Border Patrol at international airports in sanctuary cities, effectively ending all international travel from the location.
NEW: In interview w/ colleague @BretBaier, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin floats the idea of stripping CBP/customs officers from airports in large sanctuary cities as retaliation for refusing to cooperate with the federal government. International travelers wouldn’t be able to…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 6, 2026
DHS Secretary Mullin raises the possibility of pulling CBP and customs officers from airports in large sanctuary cities, citing lack of cooperation with the federal government and funding refusals.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 6, 2026
International arrivals would be unable to clear customs at those airports.
“It’s… pic.twitter.com/wdYNlNIcr1
🚨 HOLY CRAP! DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin reveals sanctuary cities may lose CBP-CUSTOMS at airports until they comply
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 6, 2026
This would effectively BLOCK international travel there
DO IT! FAFO! pic.twitter.com/GtKbF9WCap
"Should sanctuary cities be processing Customs into their city? I'm…
“If they are a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into their city?” Mullin asked Fox News’ Bret Baier. “Seriously, if they are a sanctuary city and they are receiving international flights, and we’re asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport, they’re not going to enforce immigration policy? Maybe we need to have a really hard look at that because we need to focus on cities that want to work with us.”
His proposal would end international travel for countless major hubs of travel in blue cities, like Los Angeles and New York.
Immigration policy has taken center-stage in national politics, as DHS continues on a nearly two-month long shutdown. Democrats have refused to come to the negotiating table, and have claimed that they will only fund the department if Congress agrees to essentially end the deportation of illegal immigrants by requiring a judicial warrant and forbid ICE from operating at polling places to protect their illegal immigrant voters.
The shutdown saw massive lines develop at airports around the country after an exodus of TSA workers who missed multiple paychecks, which led to President Donald Trump ordering ICE to begin security operations to alleviate the pain.
Trump has ordered his administration to find the funds necessary to pay the government employees of the department, many of whom have gone with intermittent pay since the historically-long government shutdown last fall.