#new International flights will be blocked from flying into sanctuary cities as DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announces plans to end customs screenings in those cities that protect illegal migrants and defy federal law.
“In these sanctuary cities where the local radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities either, because they don’t want us to enforce immigration, but they want us to process immigration at their facilities. Nothing about that makes sense to me.”
This means CBP screenings would come to a halt at those airports, effectively blocking direct international arrivals and forcing reroutes or cancellations.
The move targets Democrat cities where local governments refuse to cooperate with ICE, by doing things like ignoring detainers or blocking access during operations.
“If they’re not going to allow us to go out and arrest the worst of the worst, and then when we call for assistance at the facilities… they’re barricading our employees… then why are we processing international flights into the airport there?”
Mullin said they are “currently drawing up plans”
Targeted cities and states include:
New York/Newark, New Jersey (JFK, Newark Liberty)
California: Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO).
Illinois: Chicago (ORD).
Washington: Seattle (SeaTac).
Others mentioned: Denver, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Washington Dulles, San Francisco Bay Area.
These align with DOJ lists of sanctuary jurisdictions that limit ICE cooperation.
Fast Facts:
Airports need CBP officers for passport control, immigration checks, and cargo.
Removing them means no legal processing of international passengers/cargo – flights would divert to compliant airports (non-sanctuary states).
This would be devastating for affected cities.
SeaTac alone handled 7.1 million international passengers in 2025.
LAX, JFK, etc., face similar hits.
Airlines warn of reroutes, cancellations, cargo chaos, and losses ahead of events like the 2026 World Cup.
