DHS Considers Stripping Customs from Sanctuary City Airports

Homeland Security Secretary Mullin says defiant cities can't have it both ways - federal benefits require federal cooperation.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 8:34pm by Ben Kaplan

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A dynamic, abstract painting featuring overlapping, geometric shapes and silhouettes of an airport terminal, conveying the conceptual conflict between federal authority and local sanctuary policies.A fractured, high-energy illustration captures the tension between federal immigration policy and the sanctuary city movement at major international airports.San Francisco Today

The Trump administration is considering a proposal to strip international customs operations from airports in sanctuary cities, a move that would force progressive mayors to choose between federal immigration enforcement and the economic benefits of being an international travel hub. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin argued that cities can't expect to receive federal resources and perks while actively obstructing federal immigration laws.

Why it matters

This proposal is the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between the Trump administration and sanctuary cities that have declared themselves immune from enforcing federal immigration statutes. By threatening to withhold a key federal function like customs processing, the administration is trying to force these cities to either comply with immigration enforcement or forfeit the economic benefits of being an international gateway.

The details

Under the plan being considered by DHS, airports in self-declared sanctuary cities would no longer be able to process international arrivals and customs. Secretary Mullin argued that if these cities refuse to partner with federal immigration authorities, 'maybe we need to have a really hard look at' whether they should continue to receive the federal resources required to handle international travel and customs. The goal is to compel sanctuary cities to choose between their political agenda and the economic realities of being a global transportation hub.

  • The proposal is currently under consideration by the Department of Homeland Security.

The players

Markwayne Mullin

The current Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration.

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What they’re saying

“If they are sanctuary cities, should they really be processing customs into their city? Seriously, 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...”

— Markwayne Mullin, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security

What’s next

The Department of Homeland Security is currently evaluating the proposal and considering how to implement it across sanctuary cities that receive international travel.

The takeaway

This move by the Trump administration represents an escalation in the ongoing clash between the federal government and sanctuary cities that have chosen to defy federal immigration laws. By threatening to strip these cities of a key economic benefit - the ability to process international arrivals and customs - the administration is forcing them to either comply with federal immigration enforcement or forfeit the economic advantages of being a global transportation hub.