Why Is CBP Proposing to Strip International Status from Miami Seaplane Base?

The Base on Watson Island

The site lies in Biscayne Bay, three miles from downtown Miami. Chalks Airline built it in 1926. The City of Miami authorized its operation. The federal government added it to the list of international airports for arriving aliens on December 19, 1952. It joined the customs international airport list on March 22, 1988. For decades Chalks Airline and other carriers flew international routes from the base. The airline stopped flying in 2007 after the Department of Transportation revoked its authority over safety concerns. Nautilus Enterprises bought the airline and its operating rights in 2012. Until May 2021 CBP officers still traveled from the Miami Seaport to process passengers for up to eleven flights each week.

Why the Facility Failed Inspection

The regulations require every designated international airport to provide proper office and inspection space at no cost to the federal government. See 19 CFR 122.11(c) and 8 CFR 234.4. CBP says the facilities at Chalk Seaplane Base have never met those standards. Starting in 2013 the agency entered multiple rounds of communication with the base's management about safety and security shortfalls. On August 6, 2019 CBP sent the President of Chalks Airline a formal notice demanding a compliant facility. The published text breaks off at the deadline specified in that notice. CBP began denying all foreign‑origin aircraft permission to land at the base in May 2021. The airport remains open for domestic and non‑international operations. International traffic now uses Fort Lauderdale‑Hollywood International and Miami International airports for CBP processing.

Two Legal Paths to the Same Result

Two separate regulatory provisions allow withdrawal. For immigration purposes the Commissioner of CBP withdraws designation whenever just cause appears. See 8 CFR 234.4. For customs purposes 19 CFR 122.11(b) lists four grounds. One ground is insufficient business to justify inspection equipment and personnel. Another is failure to maintain proper facilities. CBP invokes both. The proposed rule states that the amount of business clearing through the airport does not justify continued maintenance of inspection equipment and personnel. It also cites the airport's failure to maintain proper facilities. The agency frames the change as part of a broader effort to use personnel, facilities, and resources more efficiently while providing better service to carriers, importers, and the public. The rule would strike Chalk Seaplane Base from 8 CFR 100.4(b) and 19 CFR 122.13. That removes it from the official lists of airports authorized for first landing of aircraft entering the United States from a foreign area. The designation for aliens and the designation for merchandise would both disappear.

What Happens Next

Comments are due by October 20, 2026. They must reference docket number USCBP-2026-0892 and be submitted through regulations.gov. The document does not say how many comments have been received so far. It does not estimate when a final rule might appear. The base itself continues to operate. Only its international gateway status is at stake.