The Trump administration is “drawing up” plans to stop international flights to some Democratic “sanctuary cities,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.
Mullin said the administration was looking at halting the processing of international travelers at major U.S. airports in response to Democratic leaders who have not cooperated with President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown in their cities.
The Homeland Security chief singled out Democrats in Newark, New Jersey, due to recent clashes between law enforcement and protesters at Delaney Hall, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. Other sanctuary cities—which limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities— whose airports could be impacted by the plans include Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle and San Francisco.
“They’re barricading our employees from coming in and out of the facility,” Mullin told Sean Hannity Tuesday on Fox News. “Why are we processing international flights into the airport there?”
“We are currently, which we’re not initiating it yet, but we’re currently drawing up plans to say, listen, 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,” Mullin said.
The announcement comes just before tens of millions of tourists are expected to pour into the U.S. for the FIFA World Cup next month, with some games to take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The travel industry last week warned of “devastating consequences” after Mullin threatened to pull Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in sanctuary cities. He discussed the potential withdrawal during a meeting where the U.S. Travel Association was addressing other proposals by the Trump administration that could hinder travel, the association said.
“U.S. Travel believes such a move would have devastating consequences for the travel industry and communities that depend on international visitation,” the industry group said in a statement.
Mullin also floated the idea in April amid the Department of Homeland Security shutdown as lawmakers were deadlocked over funding.
“If cities are going to sit there and say that they’re not going to enforce immigration policies, then I’ll repeat myself and say it doesn’t make any sense for us to process international travelers through that city,” Mullin said.
Mullin spoke out Tuesday after a weekend of heightened tension at the Newark detention facility, where hundreds of detainees went on hunger strike over what they described as inhumane conditions.
In an open letter last week, hundreds of detainees said they were being subjected to inadequate food and medical care at the facility, in addition to allegations of physical and psychological torture.
Several Democrats have visited the facility recently and railed against the conditions inside, which Homeland Security dismissed as a “smear campaign.”
“This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks. There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall. There are NO subprime conditions or abuse at the facility,” acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
