A United Airlines plane sits on the tarmac at Newark Liberty International Airport on March 18, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey.
Kenna Betancourt | AFP | Getty Images
Airlines, hotels and other industry groups are calling on the White House and Trump administration officials to abandon a proposal to end immigration screening at major airports, including New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport. united airlines hub.
United CEO Scott Kirby planned to discuss the proposal with Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin to convey the confusion the policy could cause for travelers, said two people familiar with the previously unreported call, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Airlines for America, an industry group whose members include American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, told White House officials this week that cutting Customs and Border Protection services at Newark, New Jersey’s airport would “cause havoc” for Americans, who make up the majority of the 20,000 international passengers arriving at the airport, according to a document seen by CNBC.
The document also said that if there were a bottleneck in Newark, a major connectivity hub, “the disproportionate impact on the American public would hit the heartland of the United States far harder than Newark itself.” It also warned that the proposal could have implications for other cities and could curtail air cargo traffic.
Marin said on Fox News earlier this week that the Trump administration is “developing a plan” that could reduce immigration and customs clearance for international flights at U.S. airports in so-called “sanctuary cities” that the administration claims are lenient on immigration policies.
Such plans could be aimed at pressuring city leaders to crack down on illegal immigration by threatening to disrupt air travel.
The White House had no immediate comment.
In an interview with Fox News’ “Hannity” on Tuesday night, Marin said that if the “radical left wing of the Democratic Party” won’t allow the government to “enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be flying international flights to their cities.” He said the administration has not made any final plans or decisions on such a policy.
Last August, the Department of Justice released a list of states and cities it says are interfering with U.S. immigration policies, including major international aviation hubs New York, Newark, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Philadelphia.
The proposal has been floated two weeks before the FIFA Men’s World Cup is to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but it is unclear whether the plan, if enacted, will take place before or during the tournament, potentially disrupting travel for millions.
