Markwayne Mullin sees no need to stop international flight processing at Newark Airport: Here’s why

US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on Monday that he does not need to suspend international flight processing at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Airport, citing aid from local law and enforcement officials.

Mullin’s remarks were made at Monday's press conference in Dallas in which he suggested backing away from a plan he floated to take Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from their jobs screening international travelers.

In this connection, he stated at a press conference in Dallas: “As long as we continue to have this partnership with local and state law enforcement then there’ll be no need to do so.”

On Friday, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherill directed state police to take charge outside a migrant detention center in Newark that had been a site of a week-long conflict between protesters and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Mullin reaffirmed that he had a plan to pull Customer agents from the airport to bolster protection initiatives at a federal detention facility. 

Newark Airport serves as a major hub for United Airlines, but Mullin determined that the suspension was not needed following intervention by state and local law enforcement. 

Mullin cautioned that the Trump administration could soon cease processing international travelers and cargo if partnership is breaking down.

Notably, major airports groups warned on Friday that halting broader processing at Newark Airport or major US airports could ultimately lead to thousands of tourists stranded to get home.

Mullin has repeatedly said that he could pause immigration processing at more than a dozen other airports including Boston, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia and San Francisco. 

The US Travel Association said that shutting down all international flights at 18 airports would result in more than $70 billion affecting the economy and impact 68 million international passengers per year.