Trump move could halt Aussie flights to US sanctuary cities

If it goes ahead, it could have major ramifications for tourism, including Aussies heading to major US hubs. It comes as Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Fox News on Tuesday, the administration plans to stop processing international flights to sanctuary cities such as LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans and Philadelphia. He said while the administration is “not initiating” the effort “yet,” it is “currently drawing up plans” for such a move. The threat is in response to protests against immigration

enforcement that took place outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in Newark, New Jersey, over the Memorial Day long weekend, which Mr Mullin condemned. Sanctuary cities generally mean local police, which are run by a city or state, do not cooperate with ICE, which is federally run. However, that doesn’t stop ICE from operating; it just doesn’t have local police support. As such, the administration plans to withdraw immigration processing services from cities with sanctuary laws, which ban or limit local police

from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. “They’re barricading our employees from coming in and out of the facility. Then, why are we processing international flights into the airport there?” he said in the interview with Fox. “And I, we are currently — which we’re not initiating yet — but we’re currently drawing up plans to say, ‘Listen, these sanctuary cities where the local radical-left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our jobs and enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their

cities either’. “Because they don’t want us to enforce immigration, but they want us to process immigration at their facilities. Nothing about that makes sense to me,” he continued. Processing local and international visitors at the border and on flights is the responsibility of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP checks to make sure noncitizens have valid authorisation to enter the country, which can include a tourist visa, a work visa, or other documents proving they are a permanent resident, according to People. Los

Angeles and San Francisco – both considered sanctuary cities – are popular locations among Aussie travellers. The only current direct route to the US mainland from Australia is to Dallas, which would not be affected. Direct routes to New York and Boston from Auckland would also be blocked under the proposed policy. Angus Kidman, travel expert at Finder, said travel to the US is already expensive for Australian travellers, and this proposal adds a huge layer of financial risk. “If flights to LAX or SFO

are cancelled en masse because of a federal-state stand-off, we’re going to see a scramble for seats on the alternative routes, which will inevitably drive prices through the roof,” Mr Kidman told news.com.au. “LAX is the most common destination for flights from Australia, so choices would be heavily reduced if those got put on ice.” He said while Qantas has flights to Dallas and New York and seasonal flights to Vegas, it “won’t make up the difference”. “This also puts another potential spanner in the

works for travellers who’ve chosen to fly to Europe via the US rather than through the Middle East,” he explained. “One big issue for travellers will be insurance. Most policies cover you for ‘unforeseen’ cancellations, but as this political spat dominates the headlines, it becomes a ‘known event.’ “If you’re booking a trip to a sanctuary city now, you need to check the fine print of your travel insurance immediately. “You don’t want to be left holding a $2,000 ticket for a flight that is

legally unable to land.” The US Travel Association said the move “would have devastating consequences for the travel industry and communities that depend on international visitation,” People reported. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also opposed Mr Mullin’s idea during a House Budget Committee hearing last week. “We have people from around the world and around the country that need to be able to fly into all different kinds of places,” Mr Duffy said. “We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with

our politics.” “Cutting off New York, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and other major ports of entry/departure from international flights would be the biggest self-inflicted wound to our economy since closing the Strait of Hormuz,” US economist Patrick Chovanec said, according to Nine News. “The costs would be ridiculous. “It’s really such an impressively stupid idea, I’m kind of in awe.”

Markwayne Mullin, sanctuary cities, ICE, CBP, international flights, Australian travellers, LAX, SFO, Newark protests, Qantas, travel insurance, Sean Duffy, Patrick Chovanec