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Reports: US planning to stop immigration at SEA, ‘sanctuary city’ airports

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Published  May 27, 2026 2:37 PM PDT
Seattle
FOX 13 Seattle

The Brief

    • The Trump administration is exploring plans to halt international flight and customs processing at major U.S. airports in "sanctuary cities," which include Seattle, New York City, and Los Angeles.
    • Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated the measure is being considered because these cities prevent the enforcement of federal immigration laws, though the plan originally emerged during an April dispute over funding.
    • The proposal comes just weeks before the FIFA World Cup and has drawn warnings from industry groups about severe disruptions to international travel, commerce, and airline operations.

SEATTLE - The Trump administration is drafting plans to stop immigration and customs processing at major U.S. airports in so-called "sanctuary cities," according to a new report from Reuters.

Reuters writes that Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin spoke in an interview on FOX News, saying the White House is exploring halting international flight processing into "sanctuary city" airports, which would effectively stop international travel and commerce in Democratic states.

This comes just weeks away from the FIFA World Cup coming to many of those cities.

The "sanctuary cities" targeted by the Trump administration include Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle and San Francisco.

Sea-Tac Airport targeted by the Trump administration

In his interview, Mullin said the Department of Homeland Security is still in the planning phase.

Mullin claims that sanctuary cities are preventing Homeland Security from enforcing federal immigration laws.

Earlier in May, the U.S. Travel Association claimed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was weighing whether to pull U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from "sanctuary city" airports. The trade group stated Mullin’s comment came during a meeting with the organization over Trump administration proposals that could upset its industry.

Reuters reports that Mullins first publicly threatened intervention in these major airports back in April, during a dispute over Homeland Security funding.

Airlines for America warns that reducing customs staffing at major airports would significantly disrupt operations for carriers, travelers and international cargo.

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The Source: Information in this story comes from Reuters, as well as previous coverage from FOX 13 Seattle.

SeattleDonald J. TrumpImmigration