The U.S. travel industry has issued a stark warning that removing Customs and Border Protection officers from Newark Liberty International Airport would strand millions of American travelers abroad and deliver a devastating blow to the country’s tourism economy.
CBP officers at Newark alone process 5 million Americans returning home each year, many of them connecting passengers from states beyond New Jersey. A withdrawal of staff would force flight diversions and cancellations, leaving U.S. citizens stranded overseas or trapped in transit cities without onward connections.
The economic consequences would extend well beyond disrupted itineraries. Industry estimates put the annual loss in international visitor spending at $8 billion if CBP officers were pulled from Newark, putting nearly 50,000 American jobs at risk. Cargo operations handling more than $30 billion in imported goods each year would also be affected, with knock-on effects for shipping costs and consumer prices across the United States.
The warning comes with the FIFA World Cup weeks away, a tournament expected to draw hundreds of thousands of international visitors to the United States. Industry groups cautioned that any disruption at this moment would cause lasting damage to America’s reputation as a welcoming destination.
A recent survey cited in the industry statement found that more than three-quarters of international visitors shopped at American small businesses during their trips, underlining how border disruption ripples far beyond airports and airlines into local economies.
The statement called on all parties to resolve immigration policy disputes without using travelers as leverage. “American citizens trying to get home, international visitors, and the success of a once-in-a-generation global event cannot be used as leverage — as a threat, a punishment or a catalyst for negotiation — in disputes over immigration,” the statement read.
Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest international gateways on the U.S. East Coast, serving routes across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Its CBP operation handles not only arriving international passengers but also processes Americans re-entering the country from abroad, making it a critical node in the national travel network.
The dispute sits within a broader debate over immigration enforcement priorities and the deployment of federal resources. Travel industry groups have consistently argued that border processing infrastructure should be insulated from political negotiations, warning that the consequences of disruption fall disproportionately on ordinary travelers rather than on the policy targets such measures are intended to address.
With summer travel volumes rising and World Cup fixtures scheduled to begin in mid-June, the window for resolving any staffing uncertainty is narrowing. Industry representatives urged an immediate commitment to maintaining full CBP operations at Newark and at all other U.S. international airports.
