U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Monday that he does not see a need to suspend international customs and immigration processing at Newark Liberty International Airport, citing an operational partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies working near a migrant detention center.
Speaking at a press conference in Dallas, Mullin said the collaboration with New Jersey authorities made redeploying federal customs agents from the airport unnecessary at this time. He said, "As long as we continue to have this partnership with local and state law enforcement, then there’ll be no need to do so."
The decision follows a directive from New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, who on Friday ordered state police to take control of the area outside a migrant detention facility in Newark that had been a weeklong flashpoint for clashes between protesters and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Governor Sherrill, identified as a Democrat, said she acted to try to calm rising tensions and episodes of violence occurring outside Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed jail run by the private company Geo Group. Mullin acknowledged that he had a contingency plan to withdraw customs agents from the airport to assist security efforts near the detention center - Newark Airport is a major United Airlines hub outside New York City - but he said that plan was not being implemented because of the actions by state and local law enforcement.
Earlier in the week, Mullin had warned that the Trump administration could soon halt processing of international travelers and cargo at Newark Airport. That prospect prompted warnings on Friday from major airline, travel and business groups that suspending border processing at Newark or other large U.S. airports could cause chaos, leave thousands of tourists and U.S. residents stranded, and interrupt important cargo shipments.
Mullin has also indicated he could stop immigration processing at more than a dozen other airports identified with so-called sanctuary cities. The list of cities he has repeatedly cited includes Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco.
The U.S. Travel Association provided an estimate of the potential economic impact of a broader shutdown, saying that closing international flights in the 18 airports serving those sanctuary cities would exceed a $70 billion hit to the economy and affect 68 million international passengers annually.
The timing of the dispute intersects with expected international travel for this month's soccer World Cup, which the U.S., Canada and Mexico are jointly hosting. The tournament's final will be held on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, about 12 miles (19.31 km) from Newark Airport.
Reporting context and related notices
There has been heightened federal attention on airport processing linked to public order concerns at a detention facility in Newark. State actions to assume security responsibilities have, at least temporarily, removed the immediate need cited by the Department of Homeland Security to reassign customs personnel from international processing at Newark Airport.
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