Immigration and customs enforcement will take place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin confirmed ICE will participate in the World Cup in an interview with CBS News
The Trump administration’s sanctuary city threat could seriously impact the FIFA World Cup between New York and New Jersey.
More than a million people from all over the world are expected to flock to the region for the tournament, which is just weeks away. However, Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin said he is considering changes to the process for operating international flights at some airports, including JFK and LGA.
Here’s what you need to know:
Marine, regarding suspension of international flights
The DHS secretary told Fox News this week that the agency is “developing a plan to say, ‘Look, these sanctuary cities where the local radical left Democrats are not allowing us to do our jobs and enforce federal law, we shouldn’t be operating international flights to their cities.'”
This is not the first time Mr Marin has considered the idea of suspending international flights to certain cities.
Last month, he said he was considering withdrawing Customs and Border Protection agents from airports in sanctuary cities.
“If they’re a sanctuary city and they’re accepting international flights and we’re asking them to work with us at the airport, but once they get outside the airport, they’re not going to enforce their immigration policy. Maybe we need to take a really hard look at that.”
Why did the Trump administration designate New York City as a sanctuary city?
New York City has been designated a sanctuary city by the government, meaning the country’s largest city could face significant repercussions during the World Cup.
Sanctuary cities are locations where the information provided to federal immigration officials is considered limited.
Several travel trade organizations have warned that the move will cause severe disruption, as some of the nation’s largest travel hubs come under the jurisdiction of sanctuary cities.
The Department of Justice’s list of sanctuary cities also includes:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Berkeley
- boston
- chicago
- denver
- East Lansing, Michigan
- Hoboken, New Jersey
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- Los Angeles
- new orleans
- newark new jersey
- Paterson, New Jersey
- philadelphia
- portland oregon
- Rochester, New York
- seattle
- san francisco
What does it mean if a customs officer is taken from a sanctuary city’s airport?
Mullin said last month that if sanctuary cities don’t comply, authorities could stop Border Patrol processing international flights at some of the nation’s largest airports. In the past, the president himself has threatened to cut funding to sanctuary cities.
It wasn’t immediately clear how Mullin plans to implement the rule or whether that’s what DHS plans to implement.
