DHS secretary's threat to sanctuary city airports puts airlines, travel industry on edge

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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer checks a backpack as people cross into the United States from Mexico on September 23, 2016 in San Ysidro, California. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

An idea from the new head of the Department of Homeland Security has the travel industry spooked and is being described by a fellow Cabinet member as a bad idea.

The backstory:

The U.S. Travel Association claimed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed that he was weighing whether to pull U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in locations identified by the Trump administration as "sanctuary cities." The trade group stated Mullin’s comment came during a meeting with the organization over Trump administration proposals that could upset its industry.

Big picture view:

The U.S. Travel Association, along with major airlines, condemned such a move by the Trump administration. The trade group warned pulling the officers would have "devastating consequences" for its members as well as the affected communities that rely on international travel.

The Airlines for America trade group echoed the sentiments and noted the negative impacts it would have on the airline and tourism industries. It pointed out that the impact would go beyond Americans trying to return to the U.S. or international visitors arriving and cause disruptions to the flow of international cargo.

Cabinet-level criticism

Those in the travel industry were not the only ones second-guessing the proposal. In a Congressional hearing, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated he did not know much about the idea and wanted to learn more about it. However, he added that restricting travel based on political views would be a bad idea and could come back to haunt Republicans if Democrats regained control.

What they're saying:

"We have people from around the world and around the country that need to be able to fly into all different kinds of places. We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics," Duffy said.

Dig deeper:

How much support there is for removing CBP officers from some airports is not known, nor did Mullin indicate which cities’ airports might be targeted. However, the Justice Department published a list of three dozen states, cities, and counties last year that it considers sanctuary jurisdictions. 

Currently, there is no strict definition of what constitutes a sanctuary jurisdiction, but the phrase is often used to describe limited cooperation by local or state governments with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.