Calls grow for ICE to be frozen out of the World Cup

The international soccer community will travel to the U.S. this summer for a portion of the FIFA World Cup games, but ICE’s presence is casting a shadow over the many foreign guests. 

On Tuesday, Rep. Nellie Pou of New Jersey, in an already contentious hearing, asked acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons if he could ensure the safety of foreign visitors despite the track record of ICE agents now legally targeting people due to their accents or skin color. 

“ICE, specifically homeland security investigations, is a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup,” Lyons said in response to Pou’s question. 

“We’re dedicated to securing that operation and to ensuring the safety of all participants and visitors.”

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I asked ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons whether ICE will be conducting raids and arrests at the World Cup. He refused to answer.

When the safety and peace of mind of millions of visitors are on the line, that evasion is alarming, and deliberate. pic.twitter.com/A8kxKXcbm0

— Rep. Nellie Pou (@RepNellie) February 10, 2026

Unsatisfied with his response, Pou retorted, “You realize that if [fans] feel they are going to be wrongfully incarcerated, wrongfully pulled out, that is going to hurt this entire process? I hope you realize that.”

Despite the FIFA-organized game being rooted in a concept of globalism, President Donald Trump has shifted the U.S. into a more anti-immigrant, isolationist stance since taking office again. And that reputation has spread across borders. Last week, Italians flooded the streets of Milan ahead of the Winter Olympics when they got word that ICE agents would be present at the event to provide security. 

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“This is a militia that kills,” Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said on local radio, referring to ICE. “It's clear that they're not welcome in Milan, there's no doubt about that.”

ICE agents have earned this reputation. What began with the masked kidnapping of international students later escalated to the recorded killings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. In the past year, federal agents employed by Trump to enforce his mass deportation agenda have been called out for abusive behavior with immigrants, including pregnant women and children. 

The growing tally of inhumane behavior—along with the president’s threats to take Greenland, leave NATO, and takeover Venezuela—has prompted calls for a World Cup boycott. 

In January, a German soccer federation executive committee member said it was time to "seriously consider" a boycott of the games. Echoing the sentiment, Mexico’s former ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan tweeted the same day that it might be time to “actively discuss” that idea.

However, without officials from larger sports or political organizations joining the movement just yet, it is unclear if that sentiment will translate into action. Regardless, the concern for global citizens’ safety once they step foot in the U.S. is likely to take an international platform in the coming months.

rss@dailykos.com (Alix Breeden)مصدر