The Trump administration is now weighing a dramatic new escalation in its immigration crackdown: restricting international flights from landing in so-called “sanctuary cities” that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin revealed Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) is “drawing up” plans that could target cities like Newark, New Jersey — where protests have erupted outside Delaney Hall, a newly expanded immigrant detention facility capable of holding up to 1,000 detainees.
Mullin made the remarks during an appearance on Hannity on Fox News, where he claimed DHS has arrested “tens of thousands [of] gang members that are in categories of terrorists” since President Donald Trump returned to office.
The secretary offered no evidence to support the sweeping claim.
Still, Mullin used the alleged threat to justify increasingly aggressive federal action against Democrat-led jurisdictions that refuse to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“[T]he street, it belongs to the city,” Mullin said during the interview. “If it belonged to us, we would take care of it, but it belongs to the city, and they’re barricading our employees from coming in and out of the facility.”
He then unveiled the administration’s latest proposal.
“Why are we processing international flights into the airport there?” Mullin asked. “And we are currently, which we’re not initiating it yet, but we’re currently drawing up plans to say, listen, in these sanctuary cities where the local, radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities either because they don’t want us to enforce immigration.”
The proposal would represent a stunning expansion of federal pressure tactics against sanctuary jurisdictions — potentially weaponizing international air travel and airport operations to force local compliance with immigration enforcement.
Newark has become a focal point in the administration’s broader immigration fight after days of escalating tensions surrounding Delaney Hall, a privately operated detention facility that has drawn intense backlash from activists, immigrant-rights groups, and Democratic officials.
On Monday, ICE agents fired pepper spray into a crowd of demonstrators outside the facility, according to multiple reports. Among those present was Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), who said he was attempting to negotiate between protesters and federal agents when the situation spiraled. (RELATED: ICE Agents Pepper-Spray US Senator During Detention Center Clash)
Kim later condemned the confrontation and accused the administration of intentionally inflaming tensions around immigration enforcement in Democrat strongholds.
Meanwhile, several detainees inside Delaney Hall have reportedly launched a hunger strike to protest conditions inside the facility. Border czar Tom Homan escalated the rhetoric even further Tuesday, warning that detainees would be force-fed “if it gets bad enough.”
The comments immediately triggered outrage from civil-liberties advocates, who compared the threat to controversial detention practices previously condemned by human-rights organizations.
The Trump administration has spent months intensifying its war against sanctuary cities, arguing that local policies protecting undocumented immigrants undermine federal law and endanger public safety. Trump officials have repeatedly targeted major Democrat-run cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Newark.
The administration has already deployed additional immigration agents and National Guard personnel into several jurisdictions amid ongoing deportation operations.
Critics argue the administration is deliberately manufacturing confrontations with blue cities to energize Trump’s political base ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Legal experts also questioned whether the federal government could lawfully block or restrict international flights to specific cities based on local immigration policies. Such a move would almost certainly face immediate constitutional challenges from states, airlines, airport authorities, and business groups.
Newark Liberty International Airport serves as one of the busiest international gateways in the Northeast, handling millions of international passengers annually and serving as a major hub for United Airlines.
Even floating the possibility of restricting international flights could send shockwaves through the airline industry, regional economies, and international travel networks.
For now, Mullin stressed the administration has not officially implemented the plan. But the fact that DHS is openly discussing the possibility underscores how aggressive the Trump administration is prepared to get.
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