It went from an idea floated during a Fox News interview in April to a burgeoning plan that could become a headache-inducing reality for millions of travelers. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin is threatening to pull customs officers out of airports in sanctuary cities.
Without the Customs and Border Protection officers in place, international travelers would be unable to enter the country at some of the largest airports in the United States.
Last month, Mullin went on Fox News to explain that pulling the customs officers from airports located in sanctuary cities is a direct punishment for the “radical left Democrats” who are not allowing federal agents to carry out arrests.
“They don’t want us to enforce immigration,” he said. “But they want us to process immigration at their facilities. Nothing about that makes sense to me.”
It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with Mullin on sanctuary cities, or even if you have no opinion whatsoever. If you travel outside the United States, this yet-to-be-detailed plan will affect your trip. It’s another example of the government using airports, airport employees, and travelers as pawns in a political game of chicken that should be fought in Congress, not in a place where travelers, regardless of political leanings, will face another struggle.
If the currently vague plan Mullin speaks of is enacted, it would force airlines to divert planes to non-sanctuary cities or likely cancel international flights. Some of the country’s largest airports are located in sanctuary cities, which are defined as jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
His plan would spell disaster for the aviation industry. Half of the country’s busiest airports are located within cities and states that seek to protect undocumented immigrants. According to a US Department of Justice list, nine of the busiest airports are located in sanctuary cities, including Logan. If Mullin includes states that offer sanctuary, the number of airports is 10.
Please, just let us have a drama-free summer vacation.
If customs processing is eliminated in sanctuary cities, it will be the third time in two years that travelers have faced a more stressful experience at the airport due to politics. During the 2025 government shutdown, air traffic controllers, designated as essential employees, were required to work without pay. The number of controllers calling in sick rose, and the FAA reduced flights at the country’s 40 busiest airports, resulting in thousands of canceled flights. Before the shutdown, the country was already facing a shortage of controllers.
The airport headaches returned in March, when a partial government shutdown left TSA agents without pay. Many called in sick or simply quit to find salaried jobs; in the end, the agency lost 1,100 agents. Airport queues stretched for hours, with travelers getting to airports several hours before flights to avoid being left behind. TSA PreCheck, a paid service, was suspended.
The budget stalemate was over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Republicans blamed Democrats, Democrats blamed Republicans, but it was unpaid TSA agents and people trying to get on airplanes that paid the price for the impasse.
So far, there has been little support for Mullin’s plan. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized Mullin’s plan during a recent congressional hearing: “We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics,” he said last week. Duffy seemed to have the right perspective. But a few days later, Mullin claimed that he had clarified the situation with Duffy.
“It was misreported out there that I was going to stop international flights from coming in,” Mullin said at a press conference in Dallas. “I believe what he said was that I don’t have the authority to do that. I don’t. But I do have the authority to pull officers out if I have to.”
Honestly, do most travelers care anything about the ping-pong match of who said what? Absolutely not. We just want to go on the summer vacation that we’ve already spent thousands of dollars on.
Not only will the political infighting spell trouble for travelers, but it will also deal another blow to the tourism industry, which has already been hit by slumping numbers. According to the National Travel and Tourism Office, 4 million fewer foreign visitors came to the United States in 2025 than in 2024.
In 2025, foreign visitor spending fell by $8.4 billion compared with the previous year, adjusted for inflation and exchange rates, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. It’s a trend that’s continuing into 2026. Visits to the United States were down 14 percent in April.
The US Travel Association said that “such a move would have devastating consequences for the travel industry and communities that depend on international visitation.”
The trade group Airlines for America issued a similar plea, stating that “any reduction in Customs and Border Protection operations at major US gateway airports threatens to cause unnecessary chaos throughout the nation’s air transportation system.”
It’s a harrowing situation, and one that can easily be avoided. Let me sum up what everyone, aside from a select few government officials, is saying. Get out of the airport, stay out of the airport, and if you do want to get involved, find ways to make travel easier, not more challenging. Take your fight outside the terminal so the rest of us can go about our business.
Christopher Muther can be reached at christopher.muther@globe.com. Follow him @Chris_Muther and Instagram @chris_muther.