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Mullin Floats Pulling Customs Officers From Sanctuary-City Airports

The trial balloon signals a push to redirect scarce DHS staff during a funding lapse.

Markwayne Mullin, secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. President Donald Trump threatened Iran with intensified military action after Tehran rejected Washington's push for a peace deal, with the two sides far apart in efforts to end the near month-long war. Photographer: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg
Federal law enforcement agents, including some with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), stand inside Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on March 23, 2026. Immigration agents will be deployed in US airports beginning Monday, aiming to alleviate soaring congestion at security screenings amid a weeks-long budget standoff over President Donald Trump's mass deportation drive, officials said. (Photo by kena betancur / AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • - The new DHS secretary, in a Fox News interview Monday, said he is taking a hard look at whether Customs and Border Protection should keep processing international arrivals in jurisdictions labeled sanctuary cities.
  • - Speaking to reporters Tuesday, he repeated that withdrawal is an option and said he would brief President Trump, while no policy has been ordered and DHS has announced no operational changes.
  • - Reporters and airport officials say removing CBP officers from hubs like JFK, LAX, and SFO would halt international arrivals there because CBP officers are the federal personnel who clear passengers at ports of entry.
  • - Legal experts point to a 2025 San Francisco federal court injunction by Judge William H. Orrick III that bars retaliation against sanctuary jurisdictions by withholding federal funds or services, signaling likely immediate lawsuits.
  • - Mullin framed the idea as resource triage during a partial DHS shutdown that began February 14, drawing sharp pushback from California Governor Gavin Newsom and warnings of major travel and economic disruption if the plan moves forward.