Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested removing U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in sanctuary cities, prompting criticism from the California governor over the prospect of "halted" international travel at some of the country's biggest hubs.
Mullin, who was appointed as the DHS secretary on March 23, told Fox News that his department was taking "a hard look" at how to handle sanctuary cities during an interview on the outlet's "Special Report" on April 6.
Specifically, he noted that the department was considering limiting or removing Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in cities that restrict cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
"Some of these cities have international airports; if they are a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into their city?" Mullin said.
"If they're a sanctuary city and they're receiving international flights, and we're asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport, they're not going to enforce immigration policy — maybe we need to have a really hard look at that," Mullin added.
