Major airlines, travel and business groups warned that blocking border processing at Newark or other major US airports could lead to chaos, stranding thousands of tourists and Americans trying to get home and preventing essential cargo shipments.
On Thursday, Homeland Security Department Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration could soon stop processing international travelers and cargo at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, a key gateway to New York City, because local law enforcement in the state did not assist federal immigration officials.
Mullin has repeatedly said he could also halt immigration processing at more than a dozen other airports in so-called “sanctuary cities,” including Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco.
Halting customs operations at major U.S. airports “threatens to cause unnecessary chaos throughout the nation’s air transportation system,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Airlines for America, the National Retail Federation, U.S. Travel and other groups said in a joint statement Friday.
“International aviation networks are highly interconnected, and operational changes at a small number of gateway airports will quickly ripple across the country, adversely affecting travelers, cargo shipments, supply chains and the communities that depend on these connections,” they said.
The White House did not immediately comment. However, three airline executives told Reuters on Friday that they did not believe the Trump administration would immediately move forward with any restrictions.
Mullin had complained that local police did not ensure federal immigration officials could get in and out of a New Jersey detention center, and he warned he could redeploy customs officials from the airport.
The World Cup is approaching
Shutting down all international flights at the 18 airports serving the sanctuary cities would result in a more than $70 billion hit to the economy and affect 68 million international passengers a year, the U.S. Travel Association said.
More than 20,000 international passengers land in Newark alone each day, including about 14,000 US citizens, it said.
“American travelers from across the United States may find their flights to the United States diverted or canceled,” the group said.
“Millions of international visitors will face the same disruption, and with the FIFA World Cup weeks away, the damage to America’s reputation as a welcoming destination would be significant and lasting.”
Foreign visitors are expected to flock to next month’s soccer World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The finals will be held on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, about 12 miles from Newark airport.
A shutdown could also jeopardize billions of dollars in imported cargo such as pharmaceuticals and semiconductor chips.
“Air cargo cannot be diverted without serious financial consequences,” the Cargo Airline Association said.
