Newly installed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says that airports in sanctuary cities shouldn't have the privilege of processing international passengers, if they don't want to cooperate with ICE and Border Patrol.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin is lobbing a new threat in the direction of San Francisco and all other sanctuary cities, making the fairly unlikely threat that his department will shut down Customs and Border Protection operations at major airports where sanctuary policies are in place.

In a Monday interview with Fox News, Mullin said, "Democrats are wanting to defund Customs and Border Patrol. Well, who processes those individuals when they walk off the plane? So, I’m going to have to be forced to make hard decisions. Who is willing to work with us and partner with us?"

This all sounds like a Trumpian threat without any real thought behind it. Cities that are considered sanctuary jurisdictions include Los Angeles, Denver, Boston, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Portland, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis, in addition to San Francisco. So, what, you're going to hobble international travel into and out of all those airports?!

Mullin went on to say, in his interview, "Why is the Department of Homeland Security such a political hotbed? All they are doing is trying to keep our streets safe, trying to keep our nation secure, trying to keep bad actors from having terrorist attacks on the homeland. It should be something we all get behind.”

As the Daily Beast notes, he also told Fox News anchor Bret Baier, "We need to focus on cities that want to work with us." And when it comes to airports, if he had his way, I guess that means that you'd only be able to fly into the country through Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, and Miami under this theoretical plan?

As Visit California reports, SFO sees around 4.5 million passengers per month and LAX sees 6.3 million. For the month of December, about 3.6 million international passengers came through California airports, all told.

Good luck getting through security in Houston if they all have to start flying through there!

Previously: Kristi Noem, on the Way Out the Door, Claims to Have Been In Frequent Contact With Mayor Daniel Lurie

Top image: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin attends a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. This is Trump's second Cabinet meeting of 2026 and the first since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)