National

US drawing up plans to halt immigration, customs processing at 'sanctuary city' airports

By Reuters Reuters
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin delivers remarks at an event honoring fallen police officers and federal agents at ICE Headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin delivers remarks at an event honoring fallen police officers and federal agents at ICE Headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Jonathan Ernst Reuters

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne ​Mullin said the Trump administration is drawing up plans to stop processing international travelers ‌and cargo at major U.S. airports in "sanctuary cities" that have declined to cooperate with an immigration crackdown.

Mullin told Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity in an interview broadcast on Tuesday that he had met White House officials but emphasized no decision had been made whether to proceed.

Last week, Reuters and other media reported that Mullin had privately ​told U.S. travel executives this month that the department could ⁠opt to stop customs and immigrations processing of international travelers.

Mullin cited airports in cities ​such as Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle and ​San Francisco as possible locations for such action.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 11:03 PM.

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