The newest addition to Donald Trump’s Cabinet has been chewing the president’s ear about his harebrained scheme to punish MAGA’s enemies.
Markwayne Mullin wants to target “sanctuary” cities and states, which limit cooperation with the federal government in enforcing immigration laws, by cutting the number of customs staff at their airports and potentially blocking international travelers from being processed.
Mullin replaced Kristi Noem, known as “ICE Barbie” for her habit of cosplaying as an immigration official, as Homeland Security Secretary in March after Trump fired her following a series of scandals.
Noem’s successor is apparently so eager to impress that CNN reports he’s been trying to steer conversation toward his plans for air-travel disruption at every opportunity. So far, there have been no efforts to prepare for the implementation of the measures.
“While Mullin keeps mentioning the idea in media interviews, there are no imminent plans for such a move,” the network writes, citing “two Trump officials familiar with the matter.”
“The push is seen internally as more of a personal desire of Mullin’s than one coming from inside the West Wing,” it goes on, adding that he’s been “bringing it up unprompted during meetings at the White House.”
”The president loves having a team that is constantly coming up with new ideas, but ultimately any policy decisions will be up to him,” one of the officials said.
Mullin’s idea might have met with a cool reception from Trump and his aides, but its potential for disruption has spooked the air travel industry, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
“We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics,” Duffy told a congressional hearing last week.
Duffy has his own complicated relationship with air travel—or more specifically, air-travel safety.
During Duffy’s tenure as transportation secretary to date there have been several high-profile aircraft collisions and near-misses.
Many proved fatal, such as the January 2025 Potomac River crash that killed all 67 people aboard a commercial aircraft and a military helicopter that collided above Washington, D.C., or last November’s disaster in Louisville, Kentucky, when 15 people died when a cargo jet crashed seconds after takeoff.
The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Homeland Security and the White House for comment on this story.
