The Trump administration’s new Department of Homeland Security Secretary has floated the idea of pulling customs officers from airports in so-called sanctuary cities, effectively shutting them down to international traffic. While this is simply the latest unserious idea from an unserious person, we cannot simply ignore what the DHS Secretary is threatening…
Trump DHS Floats Shutting Down Customs At Major Airports To Punish Liberal Cities
The Trump administration is floating the idea of pulling Customs and Border Protection officers from major international airports in so-called “sanctuary cities,” a move that would effectively shut down international travel at airports like New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), and Chicago O’Hare (ORD).
On Fox News, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested that if cities do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, perhaps they should not be allowed to process international arrivals at all.
“I believe sanctuary cities is not lawful, I don’t think they’re able to do that. So we’re gonna take a hard look at this. This one area we may take a hard look at is that some of these cities have international airports. If they’re sanctuary cities, should they really be processing customs into their cities?
“Seriously, if they’re sanctuary cities, and they’re 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.”
Asked to clarify, he added:
“Well, I’m saying we’re going to have to start prioritizing things at some point. Right now, remember, the Democrats are wanting to defund Customs and Border patrol. Well who processes those individuals when they walk off the plane? So I’m going to have to be forced to make hard decisions, who’s willing to work with us and partner with us?”
More posturing to pacify an increasingly shrinking base…
Amateur Hour Continues
I’m not going to waste your time pretending this is some serious, well-thought-out proposal that deserves a detailed policy breakdown.
Of course, it’s not.
This follows in the same vein of threats we’ve seen repeatedly since January 2025: loud, attention-grabbing, legally dubious, and operationally incoherent. I mean, what’s he saying here? Federal immigration agents cannot catch “bad guys” coming so we have to block international flights because local police won’t do it?
We’ve been here before with threats to defund cities, shut down programs, or otherwise “punish” jurisdictions that don’t fall in line. Courts have consistently blocked many of these efforts, and for good reason. This latest bluster is no different.
Airports are federal ports of entry. Customs processing is not an optional perk you can selectively turn on and off depending on your mood. But again, that’s almost beside the point.
The point here is that we’ve replaced one clown with another.
Kristi Noem is out. Markwayne Mullin is in.
But if you were hoping for a shift toward something resembling discipline or seriousness at DHS, this is not an encouraging start. This is the same Markwayne Mullin who, during a Senate hearing in 2023, got so upset that he challenged Teamsters president Sean O’Brien to a fistfight.
That’s the level of restraint we’re working with…
So no, it’s not surprising that his first big “idea” involves effectively shutting down international travel to some of the largest cities in the United States.
Because, why not? File it with the battle plans to invade Greenland, Canada, and Mexico…
CONCLUSION
This proposal is not going anywhere. It’s not serious and it is certainly not legal.
But it does serve as a somber reminder that while the names may change, the approach has not. One clown may be out, but another one is already on stage.
Mentally ill people running our government.
The mentally ill people are the ones protecting the likes of Carlos Corte-Corte.
Look him up…he just tried to kidnap a 4 year-old child.
Of course New York refused to hand him over to ICE.
He’s needed for votes and entitlement handouts.
He’s just one of THOUSANDS that need to be deported yesterday so if New York won’t cooperate why should the Feds continue to allow more foreigners into NY airports?
Two wrongs don’t make a right. NY should not release thugs like this – people like Carlos Corte-Corte should be immediately handed over to ICE and deported (or executed, depending on severity of crime).
But listen to the illogic of your statement. It is DHS officials who staff airport checkpoints. They are the ones determining who to let in or not…
The judge that let him (James Leonick) out is a Republican, probably because he assumed the accused was a pedo and they support their own. https://suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE/2025-General-Candidate-List
Also I love that you think people who have (allegedly) been deported 3 times are just breezing through immigration at JFK and not crossing the border less obvious.
Hopefully the judge loses his next election but the law that prevents him from being directly handed over to ICE is a NY State law.
And yes…all of these criminals walked across the border multiple times but now they need to go.
So either the State of NY cooperates in deporting them or the closed CBP at JFK and force the matter.
You’re supporting John Stone’s point…..you people are truly mentally ill.
“PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!” Also, I am the great and powerful Oz… Yeah, yet another unserious distraction. If he did this, it would kill the domestic economy; which, I mean, fine, just do it, call the bluff, let’s all just die. Also, anyone wanna wager whether our madking is gonna nuke Iran today, or just more TACO?
TACO Trump will punt today.
And he’s already destroying the US economy so the above proposal is to distract the autistic American voters from something else. Who knows what the self-created crisis that will be.
Well today is Tuesday today
I understand that Sec. Mullin isn’t exactly known for his educational pedigree, but it would be nice if he could talk about things coherently.
“sanctuary cities is not lawful”
He’s not doing much to diffuse stereotypes about simple minded Okies.
Why is it illogical?
If New York won’t cooperate with DHS then JFK should loses immigration and customs clearance.
Which means that unless people plan to pre-clear in Ireland, Bermuda, Canada, Abu Dhabi (which is a head scratcher), etc. then they will need to go to another airport in a state or city that does its part to uphold existing federal immigration law.
Does this hurt the airlines like Delta and American at JFK?
Absolutely.
But it’s on them to tell the politicians in New York who represent their interests to FIX IT.
They will need to do the same in California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, etc.
I worked at JFK 30 years ago and saw all of the nonsense that went on with immigration.
Child traffickers, bogus asylum claims, etc.
It’s time to start enforcing the laws that are currently on the books.
Your argument is illogical and nonsensical.
Then refute it.
I’ll simplify it for you…
If NY actively obstructs ICE them they don’t deserve CBP at their airports until they agree to cooperate.
Why are you okay with CBP and not ICE?
You know that CBP refuses entry every day and sends people back to wherever they came from.
Pre-clearance still requires CBP at the landing airport (even DCA and LGA). It matters not as this will not happen due to statutory requirements and the equal ports clause in the constitution.
It would be great if ‘Markwayne’ actually knew the name of the agency CBP which is Customs & Border Protection not Border Patrol (a separate, unrelated agency) as he said. But again, this is not happening so other than media outrage nothing to see.
More nonsense from the sausage swingers in this administration.
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss
Let me get this straight. International airports in America refuse to abide by and honor U.S. immigration law, and you tools want to reward them?!? Or think there should be no consequences?!? You make it easy to see why Trump won the popular vote by millions of votes and swept every single one of the swing states. Mental illness and cognitive dissonance are the hallmark of the Left. Don’t believe me? Check out the latest CNN polling. The Democrat party is polling at its lowest percentage in recorded history. Coincidence? I think not.
What do you mean international airports in America refuse to abide by and honor U.S. immigration law? Airports are staffed by FEDERAL agents, not state agents.
Recently read that the ICE agents collected information to arrest 800 people during the ” assisting TSA” . Absurd . As I recall this was not they were intended to accomplish.
Sobering indeed.
Ideas like this sound great to someone deep in the throes of dementia.