Overview
- Miami organizing co-chair Rodney Barreto said he received a promise from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that immigration agents from ICE will not be inside stadiums, and the State Department has not publicly confirmed it.
- That assurance conflicts with February remarks from ICE director Todd Lyons that the agency would play a key role in World Cup security, with Homeland Security Investigations focused on crimes and Enforcement and Removal Operations handling immigration arrests.
- More than 120 civil society groups warned fans, players, journalists and other travelers of possible rights violations if immigration enforcement operates around the event, citing risks such as entry denial, arrest, detention or deportation.
- Officials have not said where ICE could operate outside stadiums, leaving open questions about possible activity near transit hubs, fan zones and work sites during match days.
- A Los Angeles union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against FIFA and others over fears of ICE raids connected to World Cup-related work.