"If things don't change, we're going to have to make this step pretty quick," Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said on May 28 on Fox News. He warned the Department of Homeland Security could stop Customs and Border Protection from processing international travellers and cargo at Newark Liberty International Airport because of a breakdown in cooperation between federal immigration officials and local law enforcement in northern New Jersey. The threat has prompted U.S. airlines to brief administration officials and lawmakers on the potential economic and logistical fallout, and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called halting processing at airports in sanctuary cities an "extreme" option while saying the administration must consider "all of our options." The next concrete pressure point is the FIFA World Cup final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, an event officials cite as vulnerable to any suspension of arrivals at Newark and nearby hubs.

"If Customs isn't at the airport to process international flights, arriving passengers won't be permitted into the United States," Mullin told Fox News as he described how the department might respond if local police continue to block federal access to a New Jersey detention centre. That stark scenario, framed as a short-notice operational threat, is part of a broader push by the Justice Department and Homeland Security to press jurisdictions the Justice Department lists as sanctuary cities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

The read from Washington is straightforward: removing Customs and Border Protection personnel from an international gateway effectively seals it to arrivals. Mullin said reassignment of customs officials from Newark is on the table after what he described as a breakdown in local cooperation, and warned the department could act quickly if conditions don't change. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed that the administration must weigh the full range of responses, calling the idea of halting processing at airports in sanctuary jurisdictions "extreme" while stopping short of ruling it out.

U.S. carriers are treating the threat seriously, according to accounts that officials in Washington have received. Airlines have been contacting administration officials and lawmakers to press the potential impact: delayed flights, rerouted inbound international services, and the knock-on costs to carriers, handlers and passengers. The timing sharpens the stakes. The World Cup final on July 19 in East Rutherford will drive unusually large international passenger flows into the New York metro area and nearby airports. Officials in the administration and in New Jersey have cited that event as a concrete vulnerability if Newark or neighbouring hubs were to suspend CBP processing.

CBP under multiple operational strains

The Newark standoff comes while CBP is already managing other high-profile tasks that stretch capacity. In response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the State Department has directed that Americans who travelled in the past three weeks to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan must re-enter the United States through Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced screening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CBP are conducting temperature checks and travel-history interviews at Dulles as part of the diversion. The State Department described the policy as meant to "protect the American people" and said it aims to prevent Ebola from reaching the United States and to help contain the outbreak abroad.

Mastheads

At the same time, CBP is processing what could be one of the largest refund efforts in agency history after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down broad presidential tariffs in February 2026. The federal government appealed a judge's order directing refunds on June 2, but CBP said in a court filing that it is working through a large volume of repayments and has already approved a portion for disbursement.

In March the agency estimated thousands of importers could be eligible for repayments, and hundreds of companies ranging from small businesses to large firms have sought refunds through the CBP-managed system while appeals proceed.

Local unrest at immigration detention sites has added a political and operational dimension to the Newark dispute. At Delaney Hall in Newark, detainees staged a hunger strike and protesters clashed with guards over conditions, prompting visits from several New Jersey lawmakers. Those incidents have fed into the administration's enforcement and funding debates on Capitol Hill, where congressional proposals seek to increase resources for immigration agencies even as local officials and advocacy groups press for different approaches.

The Justice Department's published list of jurisdictions it designates as sanctuary cities and states includes numerous large metropolitan areas that host international airports. That makes the question of how far the federal government will go both legal and practical. Legal advisers and agency officials are weighing whether reassignment of CBP staffing or temporary suspension of processing at particular airports is doable, and what consequences follow for travellers, airlines, and trade if it's carried out.

For now, internal planning appears to be ongoing. Mullin said the department has been drawing up the plan that could see customs personnel reassigned, and that the option exists if local police continue to deny federal access to detention facilities. Blanche's comment that "we have to talk about all of our options" underlines that the administration is treating the issue as operational, political and legal at once.

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The next date to watch is July 19, when the World Cup final in East Rutherford could expose the most immediate consequences if Newark and nearby international gateways were affected. Originally reported by Reuters.

This article was created with AI assistance.