The new Homeland Security chief is considering taking action to bring “sanctuary” jurisdictions into line with federal law. In his first interview since taking over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested the possibility of revoking customs privileges at international airports in cities and states that refuse to cooperate with the federal government in enforcing federal immigration law. He asked, “If they’re a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into their city?”
“If they’re a sanctuary city, 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,” Mullin mused in the Monday night Fox News interview. “I’m going to be forced to make hard decisions. Who’s willing to work with us and partner with us?” he added, noting that he would not overstep the authorities established for DHS by Congress but would do what was in his power to break “sanctuary” jurisdictions. “I believe sanctuary cities [are] not lawful. I don’t think they’re able to do that. And so, we’re going to take a hard look at this.”
Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts, Chicago Midway International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Illinois, Denver International Airport in Colorado, Los Angeles International Airport in California, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania, and Portland International Airport in Oregon would all likely be impacted if Mullin revokes customs privileges for “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
Without Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel and facilities, an airport cannot legally process international arrivals, effectively prohibiting scheduled international flights from landing at the effected airports and rendering those airports domestic-only landing zones. Mullin’s suggestion would not only financially cripple the airports themselves, especially larger hubs like Boston Logan International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport but would also severely impact the “sanctuary” cities themselves.
In 2024, international tourists spent approximately $3.75 billion in the Greater Boston area, supporting nearly 100,000 jobs in Massachusetts, including nearly seven percent of the workforce in the City of Boston alone, and generating over $2 billion in state and local taxes. International tourism is even more vital to New York City, where tourists spent over $55 billion in 2025, generating $84.7 billion in total economic impact, supporting nearly 10% of the city’s workforce, and generating $7.5 billion in tax revenue. International tourism in Los Angeles generated over $40 billion in local business sales, supporting nearly 600,000 jobs and creating over $12 billion in taxes. Each of these cities, as well as the state governments of Massachusetts, New York, and California, would suffer economically if DHS were to revoke customs privileges.
Asked if “sanctuary” jurisdiction international airports are really at risk of losing customs privileges, Mullin replied, “Well, I’m saying we’re going to have to start prioritizing things at some point.” He added, “Right now, remember, the Democrats are wanting to defund Customs and Border Patrol. Well, who processes those individuals when they walk off the plane?”
Appearing on “Washington Watch” Monday night, Rep. Brad Knott (R-N.C.) also emphasized the role that congressional Democrats have played in the ongoing shutdown of core DHS components. “The Democrats want to stop all immigration enforcement. That’s what this boils down to, truly,” Knott said. He noted that Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a funding bill to appropriate funds for the entirety of DHS, but Senate Democrats rejected the measure. “The Senate has said, ‘We want to hollow out the ICE funding and the Border Patrol funding, otherwise we’re not going to play ball here.’ And so, they have essentially held the entire department hostage in an effort to halt immigration enforcement.”
