Weeks ago, I wrote about this. The Trump administration was waving around the threat. They’d pull customs from airports in certain cities. International flights would dry up. It sounded absurd. Almost funny, really. I figured it was noise. Just political theater designed to shake things up.
Turns out, it wasn’t a joke.
Markwayne Mullin wants to do it. And he means it.
Mullin’s Unhinged Playbook
Mullin replaced Kristi Noem. The former Oklahoma Senator now leads the Department of Homeland Security. He has a history of bizarre headlines. Remember when he challenged a union president to a fistfight in the Senate chamber? This might top it.
In early April 2024, he sat down with Bret Baier on Fox News. The topic? Sanctuary cities. Places where local police refuse to hand people over to federal immigration agents. Mullin didn’t like it. He thinks it’s illegal.
Here was his pitch.
“I believe sanctuary cities is not lawful,” he said. “If they’re sanctuary cities, should theyreally be processing customs into their cities?”
Baier looked confused. He needed clarification. “So you’re saying big cities that are sanctuary cities… they might lose their customs?”
Mullin doubled down. He talked about prioritization. He pointed the finger at Democrats.
“Right now, remember, the Democrats are wondering to defund Customs and Border Patrol. Well who processes those individuals…? So I’m going to be forced to make hard choices.”
It was vague then. Threatening, yes. But vague.
The Atlantic has an update. On May 13, 26, Mullin called in airline execs. Not for coffee. For business. He told them this was real. He wants to restrict or remove customs facilities at major international airports located in these designated cities. The target window? July 26. Right after the World Cup wraps up.
Why wait? Probably so they can use the tournament traffic as a buffer while they lay the groundwork. Or maybe just so it doesn’t look entirely insane until the cameras leave town.
The Logistics Are a Nightmare
There is no federal definition of a sanctuary city. Just a list. The White House makes the list.
Boston is on it. Chicago. Denver. Los Angeles. New York. Newark. Philadelphia. Seattle. San Francisco.
Do the math. If you cut customs here, you gut the East and West coasts. You leave almost nothing standing except Miami for American Airlines and maybe some spots in Texas for United.
This isn’t a policy discussion. It’s economic vandalism.
Airlines operate on hub models. These are the hubs. Shut them down, and you break the system. United’s international network relies heavily on Chicago, Houston, and New York. If New York goes dark on customs, where does all that traffic go?
Vasu Raja at United had his plans. El Paso Global Gateway? Maybe. But this isn’t organic growth. It’s punitive restructuring.
Is there a winning move here? Probably not. But then again, the strategy seems to be about punishment. Not efficiency.
Mullin wants leverage. He’s willing to crash the plane to get it.
Scott Kirby is currently singing Trump’s praises. Let’s see if he keeps smiling if United has to route every passenger from London through Houston because Newark stopped accepting direct foreign flights.
I guess we’ll find out in July.
Until then, the threat hangs there. Open-ended. Dangerous. Ridiculous.
