Trump plan could halt all international flights at SEA Airport just before World Cup

International travel through the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which has rebranded as SEA, could grind to a halt under a plan the Trump administration is drawing up to punish so-called sanctuary cities. And the timing could hardly be worse, with millions of foreign visitors set to descend on the U.S. in a matter of weeks for the FIFA World Cup.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says his department is actively building out plans to stop processing international travelers and cargo at major airports in cities that have refused to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Seattle is on the U.S. Justice Department’s list of those cities.

For SEA, that means one of the busiest international gateways on the West Coast is suddenly in the bullseye.

What Mullin said

“They don’t want us to enforce immigration, but they want us to process immigration at their (airport) facilities? Nothing about that makes sense to me,” he told Sean Hannity on Fox News Tuesday night, taking direct aim at Democratic leaders he accused of blocking federal agents from doing their jobs.

“We are currently, which we’re not initiating yet, but we’re currently drawing up plans,” Mullin told Fox News.

“We shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities,” he added, pointing to sanctuary cities where “local radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws.”

Mullin told Reuters no final decision has been made. But he confirmed the idea is under active consideration and that he has already met with White House officials about it.

Why Seattle’s airport is in the crosshairs

The U.S. Justice Department’s sanctuary city list reads like a who’s who of America’s largest international hubs, according to Reuters. Among them: Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, San Francisco, and Seattle.

If the Trump administration pulls the trigger, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers could be yanked from SEA, effectively shutting the door on international arrivals at the airport.

The economic fallout would hit fast and hard. SEA is a critical gateway for travelers from Asia, Europe, and Canada, and a lifeline for international cargo moving in and out of the Pacific Northwest. Without customs officers, planes don’t land. Cargo doesn’t clear. Workers don’t get paid.

What it means for Seattle’s World Cup hosting

The threat lands at the worst possible moment. The FIFA World Cup kicks off next month, with millions of international visitors expected to pour into the United States. Seattle is one of the host cities, with matches scheduled at Lumen Field, which has been temporarily renamed to Seattle Stadium.

International fans, sponsors, broadcasters, and team support staff are all expected to move through SEA in the weeks ahead. Pulling customs officers now would risk turning Seattle’s biggest moment on the global stage into a logistical disaster.

To put the stakes in perspective: more than 50 million international travelers arrived at New York’s three major airports alone last year, according to Reuters. Multiply that disruption across the country’s largest hubs during a global sporting event, and the picture gets ugly fast.

Airlines and travel industry sound the alarm

The U.S. Travel Association, which represents major airlines, hotels, and car rental companies, told Reuters its leadership met with Mullin and walked away alarmed.

Mullin “confirmed his previous comments that the administration is considering a withdrawal of CBP officers from international airports in certain sanctuary cities,” the group said in a statement.

The association warned of “devastating consequences” for the travel industry and for communities that depend on international visitor spending. Translation: hotels, restaurants, rental car companies, tour operators, and thousands of Washington jobs all hang on those international flights staying in the air.

Airlines for America, the trade group representing major U.S. passenger and cargo carriers, said last week that reducing customs staffing at major airports “would disrupt operations significantly for carriers, travelers and the flow of international cargo,” according to Reuters.

Democrats push back

Democrats argue the federal response is the real problem. They say Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP need serious reforms, pointing to the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, Reuters reported.

Mullin first floated the threat publicly in April during a fight over funding for his department. At the time, it sounded like a bluff. Now, with formal planning underway and the World Cup looming, the threat is starting to look very real.

Will SEA lose international flights?

No timeline has been set. Mullin emphasized to both Fox News and Reuters that the administration has not made a final call. But the planning is happening, and Seattle is on the list.

For now, SEA’s international flights are operating normally. Whether they stay that way could come down to a decision made in Washington, D.C., in the coming weeks, a decision that could ripple through Seattle’s economy, its World Cup moment, and the daily lives of thousands of Washingtonians.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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