Markwayne Mullin said earlier this month that the U.S. could stop customs processing at major airports in so-called "Sanctuary" cities.
Mullin, the former GOP senator from Oklahoma, is just weeks into the job having been confirmed on March 23 in a 54-45 vote. He replaces fired DHS secretary Kristi Noem.
Halting customs processing would deal a major economic blow to Democrat-run cities who have declared themselves as “Sanctuary” destinations. It would effectively prevent international flights from landing at affected airports as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers are required to process all incoming international passengers.
Mullin’s goal is to force Sanctuary Cities to work with the federal government on immigration enforcement matters.
“I think it’s a great strategy,” Harris said on “Washington Watch” last week.
Eight of the 10 busiest U.S. airports are in Sanctuary Cities.
New York’s JFK Airport has daily estimated international departures of almost 300, representing 42% of its total flights.
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Newark, New Jersey have all declared themselves as a Sanctuary Cities are reside in a Sanctuary State.
Thousands of workers would be affected.
Halting international service would disrupt global supply chains, tourism, and diplomatic travel, especially during major events like soccer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup, where cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are host sites.
Without customs procession, Sanctuary Cities would miss out on tourism dollars from an estimated 1.2 million fans coming from four other continents – Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. Visitors are expected to stay an average of 12 days, attend two matches and spend more than $400 a day.
“You cannot receive federal government funding and at the same time say we're not going to enforce federal immigration laws. It's just, it's inconsistent. It's unforgivable,” Harris told show host Jody Hice.
The House Judiciary Committee in early March passed the Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act that would override local “sanctuary” laws and require new and greater levels of local assistance with federal immigration authorities.
Harris says a full House vote is expected “before long.”
There’s a parallel legislation in the Senate where South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham in early February introduced a bill that would impose criminal penalties on state and local officials who ignore DHS detainer requests for illegal immigrants.
Graham sought to fast-track the bill using the unanimous consent request, but Democrats opposed, meaning the bill faces the longer, traditional road and a Democrat filibuster.
“The reality is that we've got to take the responsibility and say that we're not going to be sending taxpayer dollars to fund these Democrat-run cities that are just totally ignoring our immigration laws in this country,” Harris said.
Harris says Congress has a duty to abolish Sanctuary laws for the safety and security of Americans.
“Every day we’re seeing more and more stories of someone killed by an illegal immigrant in this country, whether it's somebody being killed by a hammer striking them in the head, whether it being killed by a drunk driver …”
Earlier this month Rolbert Joachim, a 40-year-old Haitian national in the U.S. illegally, allegedly bludgeoned a mother to death outside a gas station in Fort Myers, Florida. Surveillance footage shows him smashing her car windshield and striking her in the head multiple times.
Joachim entered the U.S. in 2022, was released under Biden administration policies, and was granted Temporary Protected Status despite a final removal order.
“Every day it's someone that is here illegally and is doing damage to American citizens, and it's got to stop,” Harris said.
