Fox warns Tom Homan over Mullin plan backlash

On Fox News, host John Roberts pressed border czar Tom Homan about a Homeland Security proposal by Markwayne Mullin to pause customs and immigration processing at international airports serving “sanctuary cities.” Homan argued the plan is gaining support among

For border czar Tom Homan, the question landed like a dare in the middle of a Fox News interview on Tuesday: what’s the goal of a plan that could make most Americans turn against the administration?

Host John Roberts pointed to comments from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. who criticized Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s proposal to halt customs and immigration processing at international airports tied to so-called “sanctuary cities.” Duffy had said there are “people from around the world and around the country that need to be able to fly into all different kinds of places. ” adding. “We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics.”.

Roberts then turned to Homan with a sharper framing. telling him that pulling customs agents from major airports could be so unpopular it would cause backlash across the country. He even compared it to a line from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” asking, “What’s your goal here?. To get everybody to hate you?”.

Homan’s response shifted to politics and enforcement. He said the proposal has gained support among Republican lawmakers and indicated the administration would look to beef up other enforcement tools rather than simply step back from airport operations. “Well … Secretary Mullin came up with the idea. and I know it’s getting a lot of support on the hill. ” he said.

Pressed on what he would support, Homan said he would back deploying more ICE officers at airports.

The Mullin idea. first floated last month on Fox News. rests on a condition: if what he called “radical left Democrats” won’t enforce federal immigration law. then “we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities either.” The argument is built around consequences—punishing cities that. in the administration’s view. undercut the federal mandate.

That message found an immediate echo from at least one prominent Republican lawmaker this week. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Fox News Digital that he believes cities and states that “undercut federal law” should face penalties. “I think there should be consequences to cities and states that undercut federal law,” Graham said. “I think they should pay a price for what they do. I agree with what he’s doing.”.

Not everyone sees the plan as leverage. Travel industry and business leaders warned it could disrupt the basic machinery of travel at the nation’s largest ports of entry. In May. they told The New York Times that Mullin’s plan would cause “significant havoc at airports nationwide” while hurting the travel economy.

A coalition of travel and business trade groups—who included the U.S. Travel Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—issued a statement to The Times saying: “Any reduction in Customs and Border Protection operations at major U.S. gateway airports threatens to cause unnecessary chaos throughout the nation’s air transportation system.”.

Put side by side. the clash is stark: Republican lawmakers and the administration’s border allies argue the country needs sharper consequences and expanded enforcement presence at airports. while travel and business groups warn the proposed move could degrade customs and immigration processing in ways that ripple through air travel across the country.

Right now, the plan’s power may be determined less by the intent behind it than by whether it can survive that central test Roberts posed on Tuesday: can the administration pursue “consequences” at airports without turning the public against the policy in the process?

Tom Homan Markwayne Mullin Fox News John Roberts sanctuary cities customs and immigration processing ICE officers Sean Duffy Lindsey Graham U.S. Travel Association U.S. Chamber of Commerce border enforcement airport operations