# DHS chief defends airport customs threat before Senate panel **Published:** 2026-06-03T00:52:39.000Z **Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/us-senate-panel-pans-dhs-plan-to-stop-customs-processing-at-blue-city-airports/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/dhs-chief-defends-airport-customs-threat-before-senate-panel Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended his controversial threats to remove customs processing from airports in Democratic-led cities during a Senate hearing Tuesday, according to reporting from the [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/us-senate-panel-pans-dhs-plan-to-stop-customs-processing-at-blue-city-airports/). The appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee marked his first testimony since his March confirmation and touched on aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, judicial oversight, visa processing delays, and his plan to leverage international airports as enforcement tools. Mullin indicated in recent media appearances that the Department of Homeland Security is considering [withdrawing customs officers from airports in sanctuary cities](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mullin-weighs-using-airport-customs-leverage-against-sanctuary-cities) that decline to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Such a move would effectively prevent international flights from landing in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco, experts and lawmakers warned. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, the panel's top Democrat, expressed alarm at the proposal. "Not only would that throw our airspace into chaos, it's illegal," Murphy said. "Do not ask us to fund an agency that makes up its own laws." Mullin disputed the characterization, calling the senator's comments "outlandish claims" that are "flat wrong." The DHS secretary argued he was simply performing duties Congress assigned to his agency. The question of judicial authority also emerged during the hearing. Murphy repeatedly pressed Mullin on whether the Department of Homeland Security would comply with court orders from federal judges. Mullin declined to directly answer, instead asserting he would "never break the Constitution" but suggesting some judges make "political opinion from the bench" rather than sound legal rulings. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, raised concerns about visa restrictions affecting rural hospitals in her state. The Trump administration's newly imposed $100,000 visa fee for highly skilled workers has impacted recruitment of H-1B visa holders. Collins asked whether DHS would create a carve-out for healthcare workers. Mullin said a carve-out would be "difficult" given the need for due diligence in visa processing. New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen highlighted urgent visa processing delays affecting international student visas. She warned that New England College faces losing 2,000 graduate students without approvals by July 1. Mullin acknowledged looking into the issue and said DHS was "working on it," though he stressed the urgency of the timeline. The hearing also examined the high-profile case of [Kilmar Abrego Garcia](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/22/judge-drops-criminal-case-against-kilmar-abrego-garca-ruling-it-vindictive/), a Salvadoran immigrant whose wrongful deportation sparked national scrutiny of the Trump administration's enforcement practices. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, informed Mullin that Abrego Garcia had agreed to be deported to Costa Rica, which had previously accepted such arrangements. When Van Hollen suggested moving forward with that plan, Mullin responded simply, "Great. If he's willing to do that, we'll send him." A federal judge had previously dismissed criminal charges against Abrego Garcia, ruling the prosecution was vindictive. ## Sources - [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/us-senate-panel-pans-dhs-plan-to-stop-customs-processing-at-blue-city-airports/) - [Fox News article on Mullin's plan to use airport customs leverage against sanctuary cities](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mullin-weighs-using-airport-customs-leverage-against-sanctuary-cities) - [Washington Post reporting on federal judge's dismissal of charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/22/judge-drops-criminal-case-against-kilmar-abrego-garca-ruling-it-vindictive/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/us-senate-panel-pans-dhs-plan-to-stop-customs-processing-at-blue-city-airports/.