Overview
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he still has a plan to remove U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from Newark Liberty International Airport but told reporters on Monday that the move is not needed now because New Jersey state and local police secured the area around the Delaney Hall detention center.
- Mullin defended DHS’s 2027 budget and immigration tactics in a June 2 Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing where Democrats pressed him over the airport threat, conditions at Delaney Hall and whether DHS will follow federal court orders.
- During the hearing Mullin repeatedly refused to plainly commit to obeying every court order, saying only that his department will not break the Constitution and that some courts are politicized, prompting bipartisan concern about rule‑of‑law compliance.
- Airlines, travel groups and the Transportation Department warned that removing CBP processing from Newark or other so‑called sanctuary airports would cause major travel disruption, strand passengers and interrupt international cargo flows with the World Cup starting June 11, and industry estimates cite steep economic costs if several major airports lost processing.
- The dispute traces to protester clashes and detainee complaints at Delaney Hall that spurred Governor Mikie Sherrill to send state police to the site, and legal limits plus past court challenges make any wider shutdown of international processing legally risky and operationally complex.