Jennie Taer

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration is drafting plans to stop processing foreign travelers at airports located in sanctuary cities, but the possible change has some former officials questioning the political implications.Mullin revealed on “Hannity” Tuesday night that officials are “currently drawing up plans” to pull Customs officers from international airports in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts amid escalating anti-ICE protests outside a facility in Newark, New Jersey.He then doubled down Thursday, telling Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that while his department won’t “halt” international flights, it will pull Customs officers away from processing those passengers as they attempt to enter the United States.“When we have situations like what’s happening in New Jersey right now, when we have to prioritize where we put federal employees because local law enforcement won’t help protect their streets … and keep them from barricading and causing harm to our employees, then we have to decide where we’re going to prioritize our federal employees,” Mullin said.“What we’re saying is we just won’t be able to process them because we don’t have officers there,” he added.The idea immediately sparked concerns from former Homeland Security officials, who questioned the political fallout and consequences of such a move ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the United States is set to co-host.Former Homeland Security advisor Charles Marino said that while there’s a need for “consequences for sanctuary cities, there’s no way this would be allowed to happen with the World Cup coming up.”“The political pressure on the admin from FIFA, the international community, stadiums, local governments, and businesses would be immense. It also undercuts President Trump, who routinely takes credit for bringing the World Cup to the U.S. To do this now is all risk and no reward,” he said.Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also appeared skeptical of the proposal.“We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics,” Duffy said during a Congressional hearing last week.Another former Homeland Security official, who was granted anonymity to speak more freely on the issue, said the Trump administration is trying to play “hardball,” adding that it’s “the federal government’s right” to carry out such a plan. The official, however, warned that “it is only going to piss off the unaffiliated voters and at the end of the day will not change sanctuary jurisdictions.”“Democrats will still vote for sanctuary,” the former official said.Former ICE New York field office deputy director Scott Mechkowski said that Trump’s base will likely support that move, but that Mullin will need to focus his messaging to present it to the general public as a last-ditch effort to force cooperation from sanctuary cities.Mechkowski said Mullin has to “frame” the initiative as “an extreme measure.” He pointed to the Trump administration’s attempts to “withhold” federal funds from sanctuary cities, an effort that has been repeatedly blocked by court orders.It would also have “devastating effects,” spelling financial trouble for sanctuary cities, which he expects would cave easily to meet the Trump administration’s demands as a result.“I think they need to realize that [Mullin] means business,” Mechkowski said.Mullin first mentioned the proposal in April, presenting it as a tactic to force sanctuary cities to play ball with federal immigration agents.“I believe sanctuary cities is not lawful,” Mullin told Fox News’ Bret Baier at the time. “I don’t think they’re able to do that, and so we’re gonna take a hard look at this.”“If they’re sanctuary cities, should they really be processing Customs into their city?” Mullin asked. “If they’re a sanctuary city and they’re receiving international flights, and we’re asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport they’re not gonna enforce immigration policy, maybe we need to have a really hard look at that because we need to focus on cities that want to work with us.”

Listen to this Article 4 min Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration is drafting plans to stop

Listen to this Article While immigration activists and Democratic lawmakers claim there's a hunger strike causing turmoil at an ICE detention

Listen to this Article Authorities found a knife on the illegal immigrant accused of killing Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman, while he was locked up in jail, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

As Democratic lawmakers and activists claim detainees at ICE’s Delaney Hall are engaged in a hunger strike, a different story is playing out inside the facility.While detainees at the Newark, New Jersey, detention center are opting not to eat their regular meals, they’re going to the commissary to buy candy bars instead, a source familiar with the situation said recently. New data obtained by The Daily Wire shows that commissary sales at Delaney Hall surged 161%, rising from $11,498 on May 26 to $30,013 on June 1. While snack sales jumped, the detainee population fell from 724 to 621 during that same time period.The so-called hunger strike stems from allegations of poor conditions inside the facility, where Democratic lawmakers like Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) have claimed that there are worms in the food.President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said Monday that he personally visited the facility and ate the same food being served to detainees, which he said he enjoyed.“I even made a surprise visit this weekend and walked into the cafeteria and ate the same meal that the detainees around me were eating, and I made sure my tray equaled their tray. I had spaghetti and meat sauce, I had green beans, I had bread and rolls, I had drinks, I had dessert. The food was good, it’s all a false premise. There was never a hunger strike,” Homan said.“They may not be eating in the cafeteria, but what I found out they’re ordering food from the commissary and eating it in their cells,” he added.The Department of Homeland Security has also repeatedly hit back at the allegations, saying “all detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”Former ICE New York Field Office Deputy Director Scott Mechkowski recently told The Daily Wire that so-called hunger strikes where detainees are loading up on commissary snacks are all too common in immigration detention.“I’ve seen real hunger strikes during my time as an ICE official, managing detention facilities. What’s happening at Delaney Hall is not a hunger strike,” Mechkowski said.“When detainees are buying up Honey Buns and Snickers bars, and those with money are helping others get snacks, that’s not a hunger strike, it’s just a publicity stunt,” he added.Meanwhile, Newark Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka announced Tuesday that he was expanding an existing lawsuit against Delaney Hall operator GEO Group. The state later announced a separate lawsuit against the private prison company, accusing it of refusing to allow state health inspectors inside.Protesters have clashed with authorities for days outside the facility, leading to dozens of arrests.New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill held back state police from responding to the melee until nearly a week after the protests began. On Monday, Baraka instituted a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Listen to this Article As Democratic lawmakers and activists claim detainees at ICE's Delaney Hall are engaged in a hunger strike, a different story is playing out inside the facility.

Listen to this Article Federal authorities busted a massive cross-border drug tunnel leading to a fake California storefront that investigators say was used to move cocaine into the United States.

Listen to this Article Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers successfully hunted down an illegal immigrant convicted of attempted

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers successfully hunted down an illegal immigrant convicted of attempted murder who had been roaming the country for years despite having a deportation order and a lengthy rap sheet, The Daily Wire has learned.Dramatic footage of the May 5 raid showed ICE officers knocking on the door of Sudanese illegal immigrant Gabriel Maror Ayuel’s Nashville apartment before a man appeared at the door. The officers appeared to have a calm interaction with Ayuel before they took him away in handcuffs.Ayuel received a conviction for first-degree attempted murder in Davidson County in 2003 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to ICE.WATCH FROM TODAY’S EPISODE OF MORNING WIRE: He only served about nine years of his sentence, according to law enforcement sources. The reasoning for his shortened stint behind bars is not clear.For months, ICE officers investigated his whereabouts and found him at his apartment in South Nashville. He later told the officers that he had just moved into the building the week before his arrest.“The subject that we just arrested received a removal order about 20 years ago, continued to just remain here in the United States while he was committing those crimes,” one of the officers could be heard saying in the video of the raid as he sat in the driver’s seat.Ayuel arrived in the United States in 1995 as a refugee, ICE said. While in the United States, he received his attempted murder conviction, and was also arrested for driving under the influence and failure to appear in Georgia, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony possession of a prohibited weapon and felony flight to avoid prosecution in Tennessee.While he was behind bars in July 2008, Ayuel received a deportation order, according to ICE. Despite that, he never left the country, which is considered a felony offense.“Removing illegal aliens with serious criminal convictions from our communities is essential to protecting public safety,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New Orleans acting Field Office Director Brian Acuna said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.“We are committed to enforcing immigration laws and prioritizing cases that pose a threat to our neighborhoods,” he added.The Trump administration’s mass deportation effort has resulted in more than 641,000 arrests and over 800,000 deportations, White House border czar Tom Homan recently told the Washington Examiner.ICE sources told The Daily Wire that there is a renewed pressure on the force to increase arrest numbers and work longer hours.