Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at a press conference in Dallas on Monday that he still has a "plan to initiate" the removal of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from international airports, even as he stated there is currently "no need" to carry out such a move in Newark.
The plan, which Mullin initially floated for Democrat-led sanctuary cities, would shift CBP officers away from their primary duties screening international travelers at airports to provide perimeter security outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities.
Mullin said his remarks were targeted at Newark, where protests had erupted outside a local detention facility. He said state police and local authorities indicated they lack resources to respond adequately.
"Since the state police and the local police says they don't have the resources to be able to respond, then we're going to have to get our resources from someplace else, because we're going to protect our men and women that work for us," Mullin said at the press conference.
However, he added that Newark's mayor and police chief have been "very, very cordial" to work with. "As long as we continue to have this partnership with local and state law enforcement, then there will be no need to do so," he stated.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative supporters say Mullin is right to explore every option to protect federal employees working in cities that limit cooperation with immigration enforcement. They argue that CBP officers, as licensed law enforcement officers, should be available to support other DHS functions when local authorities refuse to assist.
Republicans have defended the contingency planning as prudent governance, noting that ICE officers were successfully deployed at airports during a previous government shutdown and similar arrangements could work in other contexts.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates have expressed alarm at the continued threat to remove CBP officers from airports, arguing it would create chaos in the immigration system and disrupt international travel.
Critics say using customs officers for ICE perimeter duty would divert resources from their core mission of processing international travelers and screening imports. They argue this represents a misuse of law enforcement personnel whose primary function is border security and trade facilitation rather than interior immigration enforcement.
Progressive groups have pointed to Newark's cooperation with federal authorities as evidence that the threat was unnecessary political theater designed to pressure sanctuary jurisdictions.
What the Numbers Show
CBP officers process approximately 1 million travelers per day across U.S. airports, according to agency data. The department has not released specific figures on how many CBP officers would be needed for perimeter security operations at ICE facilities.
The airline industry has warned that any reduction in customs staffing could significantly increase wait times at international arrival halls and potentially disrupt flight schedules.
The Bottom Line
Mullin's statements indicate the administration is keeping open the option to redirect CBP resources, though current cooperation with Newark officials appears to have temporarily defused the situation. The episode illustrates ongoing tensions between federal immigration enforcement priorities and cities that limit local law enforcement participation in civil immigration matters. Whether this remains a contingency plan or develops into an actual policy shift will depend on future relations between federal authorities and sanctuary jurisdictions.