In the distal colon, a subpopulation of macrophages has been recently described to perform a quality control of the water absorbed by the epithelium via balloon-like protrusions (BLPs) inserted in between apical epithelial cells. Upon sensing of fungal products, they instruct the gut to stop water absorption to prevent them from poisoning (Chikina et al., 2020). These BLP macrophages are at the interface between the luminal content and blood vessels on top of which they’re sitting. We wondered then if they could form a physical barrier to prevent harmful products to enter the blood circulation. By destabilizing epithelial cell-cell junctions (using an inflammatory model or a conditional KO), we demonstrated that BLPs morphology depends on the tightness of epithelial cells and adopt a “fill-the-gap” shape if the cells are looser. In this situation, neutrophils are recruited in small numbers and are constrained to the lamina propria. By interfering with BLPs formation, we could show that neutrophils are now able to cross the lamina propria to invade the epithelium and thus, cause more damage. Overall, we uncovered a new cloaking phenotype where macrophages prevent neutrophil swarming by ensuring gut permeability.