What you need to know about Trump and sanctuary cities
- Trump administration considers plans to halt immigration and customs processing at airports in Democratic Party-run cities
- Travel and trade could face disruption with the suspension of international passenger and cargo arrivals
- Airlines, tourism groups, and even some administration figures warn the move would severely harm the economy
The Trump administration is “drawing up plans” to halt immigration and customs processing at so-called “sanctuary cities,” US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said.
The cities, which are all run by Democrats, have refused to work with the White House in its crackdown on irregular immigration.
The plans would essentially halt all international passenger and cargo arrivals at major airports in Democratic-run states.
Millions of foreign tourists are expected to travel to the US for the FIFA World Cup, which starts in June.
Over 50 million international travelers arrived at the three major New York airports last year [FILE: March 2026]Image: Neil Constantine/NurPhoto/picture alliance
What did Markwayne Mullin say about the plans for ‘sanctuary cities’?
In an interview broadcast on Fox News’ The Sean Hannity Show on Tuesday, Mullin said “we’re currently drawing up plans” but added that no decision had been made about whether to proceed.
The Homeland Security secretary, who took over from Kristi Noem after she was removed from the position in March, insisted that US authorities “shouldn’t be processing international flights into” so-called sanctuary cities.
Mullin said, “local radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws.”
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What are so-called ‘sanctuary cities’?
The Trump administration has sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to several Democratic-run cities as part of its clampdown on irregular immigration and mass deportation drive. The White House has also deployed federal National Guard troops to some cities, including Los Angeles and Washington, DC.
While there is no fixed definition of a “sanctuary city,” the US Justice Department published a list in August 2025 of cities and states that it claims “impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.” The vast majority are run by Democrats.
Some of the largest cities included on the list are Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle and San Francisco.
The Trump administration’s hard-line immigration crackdown has been met with fierce opposition in many of those cities. In Minnesota, two US citizens were shot dead during altercations with agents from ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Democrats in Congress withheld funding for the Department of Homeland Security in protest over ICE and what they saw as excessive immigration enforcement policies. The standoff led to the department’s shutdown until President Donald Trump signed a funding bill in late April.
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How has the travel industry reacted to the Trump administration’s plans?
Mullin’s threats to pull immigration officers from certain US international airports, first reported in US media last week, have alarmed the travel industry.
The US Travel Association and major airlines have condemned the plans. In a statement on Friday, the group said it “believes such a move would have devastating consequences for the travel industry and communities that depend on international visitation.”
In a separate statement, the Airlines for America trade group said: “Reducing CBP staffing at major airports would have a devastating effect on the airline and tourism industries, causing a significant operational disruption to carriers, travelers and the flow of international cargo.”
Opposition to the plans has also come from within the Trump administration. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy told a congressional hearing last week that it would be “a bad idea to start restricting travel based on political views.”
“We have people from around the world and around the country that need to be able to fly into all different kinds of places. We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics,” Duffy said.
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Edited by: Zac Crellin
