The United States Department of Homeland Security (RPN, Corpus Christi International) might withdraw Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from airports in "sanctuary cities", effectively halting international flights to and from these facilities, homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Fox News.
The plans, which Mullin claimed are already being drafted, are in response to ongoing protests against federal immigration policy. Because protesters "aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities either," the official explained.
"They’re barricading our employees from coming in and out of the facility, then why are we processing international flights into the airport there? We’re currently drawing up plans, which we’re not initiat[ing] yet," he added.
Mullin reportedly previously warned travel industry executives that a ban on international travel to and from sanctuary cities was possible. However, transportation secretary Sean Duffy publicly opposed such a move during a House hearing.
Sanctuary cities, counties, and states are jurisdictions that limit their cooperation with federal authorities enforcing immigration policies, through measures such as banning local law enforcement from working together with their federal counterparts or refusing to share information.
The current US administration has begun publishing official lists of sanctuary jurisdictions, although these have been frequently challenged in court. The most recent list available on the DHS website was updated in October 2025 and would encompass the following airports, among others:
- Albuquerque International,
- Boston,
- Chicago O'Hare,
- Denver International,
- Los Angeles International,
- New Orleans International,
- New York JFK and New York La Guardia,
- New York Newark,
- Philadelphia International,
- Portland International,
- Seattle Tacoma International, and
- San Francisco.
The DHS also identifies 11 entire states, including California, Illinois, and New York, as well as Washington, DC, as sanctuary jurisdictions, potentially extending the effects of Mullin's policy to all airports in these regions.
While many airports in the United States are owned by local authorities, federal law requires the presence of CBP officers for the processing of any international arrivals.
