DHS chief mulls yanking customs from sanctuary city airports, raising O’Hare angst, Pritzker rebuke

Customs processing at major airports in sanctuary cities such as Chicago could be at risk, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested this week.

Such a move would have serious consequences for O’Hare International Airport, which handles thousands of international travelers at Terminal 5 and plans to expand customs in its future Global Terminal.

Mullin told Fox News he believes sanctuary cities are “not lawful,” and that raises questions for him about their relationship with services like customs.

“If they’re a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into their city?” he asked Monday.

Gov. JB Pritzker hit back on social media Tuesday.

“Right before the World Cup? If your first move is trying to shut down America’s busiest airports, you’re really hitting the ground running — blocking tourism industry and ruining our economy,” he wrote.

Chicago is not hosting World Cup matches this year but sanctuary cities including Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco are.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection not only screens international travelers but also monitors overseas mail flown into O’Hare, checking for counterfeits and illegal drugs.

Mullin said his concern was “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 have a really hard look at that, because we need to focus on cities that want to work with us.”

He didn’t provide specifics after host Brett Baier asked, “So, you’re saying that big cities that are sanctuary cities that have a big airport — they might lose their customs?”

“We’re going to have to start prioritizing things at some point,” Mullin responded. “Right now, remember, the Democrats are wanting to defund Customs and Border Patrol. Well, who processes those individuals when they walk off the plane? And so I’m going to have to be forced to make hard decisions. Who is willing to work with us and partner with us?”

Chicago has embarked on a massive airport upgrade that includes replacing Terminal 2 with a Global Terminal. The new facility is expected to offer expansive customs processing.

The Chicago Department of Aviation did not comment on Mullin’s remarks.