According to Reuters, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on last Tuesday that customs officials could stop processing international travelers at major U.S. airports in “sanctuary cities”. In particular, cities that have declined to cooperate with the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown, a move that could severely impact U.S. trade and tourism.
The move would involve withdrawing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who are required to check passports, visas, and goods when travelers enter the U.S. Such a measure could effectively halt international air travel and commerce at major airports in the States mostly run by the Democrats.
U.S. airports and immigration enforcement are currently at the center of a row between the Federal administration and States administration. Mullin was cited to anticipate speaking with President Trump about the idea of pulling then customs offices at Sanctuary Cities’ airports.
The U.S. Department of Justice published a list of so-called Sanctuary Cities and States in October 2025. That includes many cities with major international airports, such as Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Newark, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. All together, these cities recorded 107.85 million international passengers for the first 10 months of 2025 (Source of data: Bureau of Transportation Statistics).
|
Airports Sanctuary Cities |
Outbound International Passengers |
Inbound International Passengers |
Total International Passengers |
| Chicago (ORD) | 6,012,935 | 6,104,712 | 12,117,647 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 9,710,367 | 9,759,282 | 19,469,649 |
| New York (JFK) | 14,129,488 | 14,494,568 | 28,624,056 |
| Denver (DEN) | 1,995,864 | 2,017,574 | 4,013,438 |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 6,303,578 | 6,440,397 | 12,743,975 |
| Newark (EWR) | 6,318,175 | 6,317,522 | 12,635,697 |
| Seattle (SEA) | 2,821,925 | 2,882,732 | 5,704,657 |
| Boston (BOS) | 3,845,857 | 3,915,518 | 7,761,375 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 1,725,854 | 1,796,318 | 3,522,172 |
| New York (LGA) | 635,411 | 626,981 | 1,262,392 |
| GRAND TOTAL | 107,854,058 |
Such a move would then deprive the country’s largest international gateways, leaving only Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Houston Intercontinental, Miami, San Diego and Washington-Dulles as the USA main international gateways.
Mullin tried to reassure its audience, according to Reuters: “It’s an option,” he told reporters in North Carolina, adding no decision had been made. “If cities are going to sit there and say that they’re not going to enforce immigration policies, then I’ll repeat myself and say it doesn’t make any sense for us to process international travelers through that city.“
The State Secretary said pulling the customs officers was one of several options under consideration as Congress remains deadlocked over funding for DHS. “We’re going to start having those conversations. As I said, this is just something I’m thinking. This isn’t something that I’m necessarily going to do,” he said.
Mullin argued that state and city policies and laws limiting immigration enforcement were illegal because they contradicted federal immigration laws. The move could however take a few months before being eventually implemented. Meanwhile, it would certainly not come before the hosting of the FIFA World Cup that is set to start in early June.
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