[Spam] DHS says it's 'drawing up plans' to ban international arrivals at SFO

In the latest air travel news, the Trump administration’s new Department
of Homeland Security chief says his department is working on plans to
halt processing of inbound international travelers at major airports in
sanctuary cities run by “radical-left Democrats”; SpaceX’s Starlink
satellite network wins another major U.S. carrier as a customer for its
in-flight Wi-Fi; United Airlines’ CEO says his company won’t be pursuing
any mergers in the foreseeable future; another major carrier plans to
start flying out of Sonoma County; Southwest Airlines plans to boost its
California operations next week; low-cost Breeze Airways starts three
transcontinental routes from Los Angeles International Airport and
United plans to add one this fall; Colombia’s Avianca launches a new
Central America route from San Francisco International Airport; a study
finds U.S. airlines last year turned in their worst on-time performance
in over a decade; and a pilot program in Massachusetts will let flyers
clear TSA screening at a suburban location and proceed to Boston’s
airport by bus. 

How would your travel plans be affected if the DHS shut down its Customs
and Border Protection checkpoints at SFO, effectively blocking all
international arrivals, both U.S. and foreign? It’s pretty unthinkable,
right? That’s why we didn’t cover a comment back in early in April by
newly installed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin when he suggested his
agency might use that tactic against so-called sanctuary cities to
pressure them to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
in rounding up undocumented people. The idea was so outlandish that
nobody really thought he was serious. 

But Mullin is now doubling down on the threat. After demonstrators
protested outside an ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey, Mullin appeared
on Fox News this week and said his agency is beginning to take steps to
adopt the policy. “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,” Mullin
said, according to a report in the Hill. 

As Reuters noted, “The move could effectively halt international air
travel and commerce at major airports in Democratic states, with
millions of foreign tourists expected to stream in for next month's
start of the FIFA World Cup.” In other words, it would create sheer
chaos for airlines, airports and international travel in general, and if
Mullin proceeds with the plan it would almost certainly face immediate
legal challenges. 

An analysis by Simple Flying examined a dozen major airports that could
be affected if Mullin’s plan becomes reality, including SFO and LAX. The
list includes four of the 10 busiest airports in the country (O’Hare,
Denver, LAX and John F. Kennedy), and it includes five United hubs (SFO,
LAX, O’Hare, Denver and Newark Liberty). “Because of the global
connectivity served by these airports, the removal of customs agents at
these gateways can also cause significant disruption [to] the US
domestic market,” Simple Flying noted on its site Wednesday. 

Even Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy seemed dumbfounded by Mullin’s
proposal. According to a report by PBS News, Duffy told a congressional
hearing, “We have people from around the world and around the country
that need to be able to fly into all different kinds of places. We
shouldn't shut down air travel in a state that doesn't agree with our
politics.” 

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/dhs-ban-international-arrival-sfo-2
2280740.php