A proposal discussed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during a Fox News interview triggered widespread criticism from legal experts, political commentators, and immigration advocates.

Mullin said the Trump administration was considering plans to stop processing international flights and cargo at airports located in so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.According to Mullin, the administration believes local Democratic officials are obstructing federal law enforcement and should face consequences.The proposal immediately drew strong reactions online and from policy analysts.

Critics argued that redirecting or canceling international flights would create major disruptions for travelers, airlines, and local economies without meaningfully affecting immigration enforcement.

CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem described the idea as one of the administration’s worst proposals, warning that airlines would likely be forced to cancel flights rather than reroute them efficiently.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council also criticized the plan, saying airports and airlines lack the infrastructure to shift large volumes of international traffic between cities.Others questioned whether the proposal would violate constitutional protections against favoring ports in one state over another.Legal observers and commentators suggested the measure would almost certainly face lawsuits from affected states and the airline industry.The controversy reflects ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and Democratic-led cities over immigration policy.

Sanctuary jurisdictions have long resisted federal efforts to expand local cooperation with immigration authorities, leading to repeated political and legal conflicts over federal power and local autonomy.