President Donald Trump's administration is studying a measure that could alter international air traffic in the United States: reducing federal operations at airports located in cities considered "sanctuary", that is, those that limit their cooperation with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE).

The information was revealed by The Atlantic, which cited sources close to private meetings led by the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Markwayne Mullin.

According to the report, Mullin recently held a meeting with airline executives and representatives of the tourism sector in Washington, where he discussed the possibility of reducing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at airports in cities that do not fully collaborate with ICE.

Airports under migratory pressure

Among the airports mentioned during the conversation are John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Portland International Airport, in Oregon.

The proposal would involve reducing personnel in charge of processing passengers and international cargo, a decision that, according to experts cited by The Atlantic, could cause delays, cancellations and diversions of flights to other cities.

“The message was that this is a real proposal that the administration is considering,” a source with knowledge of the meeting told the American media. Another participant described the possible impact as “devastating” for the airline industry.

Mullin had already advanced this idea weeks ago during an interview on Fox News, where he assured that the government should “carefully analyze” whether sanctuary cities should continue receiving international flights while refusing to collaborate with federal immigration policies.

Tourism sector fears economic impact

Representatives of airlines and the tourism sector have expressed concern about the economic and logistical consequences of the measure.

John Rose, risk analyst and consultant at the Altour agency, told the aforementioned media that the plan could affect not only sanctuary cities, but the entire US air network.

"It hurts the airlines. It hurts the airports. But I don't know if it will put a lot of pressure on the cities," he explained.

Experts also warned that alternative airports in conservative states such as Texas or Florida do not have sufficient capacity to absorb international operations diverted from centers such as New York or Los Angeles.

DHS has not yet made a final decision

Although the Department of Homeland Security avoided directly responding to the content of the meetings, a senior official cited by The Atlantic said that the administration is still analyzing different options to pressure sanctuary cities.

Among the measures under evaluation would also be to restrict some immigration programs and federal benefits administered by the Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The discussion occurs in the midst of the new immigration offensive promoted by Trump and internal pressure from conservative sectors that demand more aggressive deportations.