Markwayne Mullin plan to remove CBP from international hubs has sparked widespread backlash.
According to The Hill, national security experts and the airline industry are cautioning against Homeland Security Secretary’s threat to pull US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from international hubs, arguing the “shockingly naive or dumb” plan would cause airline chaos for Americans of all stripes.
Mullin floated the plan last week during an appearance on Fox News following protests outside a New Jersey detention facility in which Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) was among those affected by pepper spray fired into the crowd.
Mullin said as a response to the chaos he was “drawing up plans” to withdraw CBP agents stationed at airports in so-called sanctuary cities.
The department has yet to take action, but the idea has generated significant backlash from those who argue the move would stall travel for Americans of all political ideologies.
Juliette Kayyem, who served as assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Obama administration, said if Mullin follows through, “it will be a catastrophe.”
CBP agents stationed at airports do not make determinations about whether someone can immigrate to the US, but they do screen citizens and foreign travelers, verifying they have documentation to enter the country.
Airlines also vet documents before travelers board U.S.-bound flights. CBP agents also screen foreign cargo.
The airline industry has spoken out against Mullin’s plan, saying the disruption would be “devastating.”
Airlines for America, the airline industry trade group, said in a statement, “Reducing CBP staffing at major airports would have a devastating effect on the airline and tourism industries, causing a significant operational disruption to carriers, travelers and the flow of international cargo.”
Experts said a major issue for Mullin is the interconnecteness of global and domestic travel.
The move would of course also be disruptive to the thousands of CBP agents stationed at airports around the country, but Mullin said he would put them to work assisting officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a role for which they are not trained.
