As the FIFA World Cup touches down in 11 American cities this June, immigrant rights groups are preparing for potential confrontations with federal enforcement agents. More than 120 organizations have issued a travel advisory warning 10 million expected visitors about the risk of arrest, detention, and deportation under the current political climate.
The mobilization reflects deep concern about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity near the tournament. While Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, has assured that ICE will not operate inside stadiums, Trump administration officials have not ruled out enforcement operations in surrounding areas. At least 18 people have died in ICE custody this year, and activists worry the World Cup could become a flashpoint for aggressive enforcement.
In Los Angeles, a labor union representing over 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium is threatening to strike if immigration agents approach the venue, which will host roughly 70,000 spectators per match. In Dallas, El Movimiento DFW is distributing whistle kits and attorney contact information at churches and businesses throughout neighborhoods near game sites.
Legal preparedness is emerging as a central strategy. Jennifer Li, a leader of the national coalition Dignity 26, has been connecting experienced immigration attorneys with rapid response teams in host cities. She is also working to revive a website originally built during the first Trump term to link volunteer lawyers with people affected by enforcement actions.
Seattle, expecting over 750,000 visitors, is seeing organizers use the global spotlight to push broader demands. Working Washington has trained service workers on Fourth Amendment rights and coached nearly 150 restaurants on supporting immigrant employees during potential enforcement encounters. The group is co-hosting a kick-off event on June 11.
In Miami, where immigration arrests lead the nation, the Florida Rapid Response Alliance for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment operates a hotline for reporting ICE activity. The alliance has trained legal observers to document enforcement presence in real time. Yareliz Mendez-Zamora, an organizer with the American Friends Service, called the response network a lifeline during what she described as both scary and beautiful times.
Philadelphia's West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative is collecting pledges from at least 65 businesses, primarily restaurants and bars, to serve as safe spaces for immigrants and provide enforcement information. The group is building a rapid response network of immigration attorneys ready to deploy if businesses face raids. President Jabari Jones framed ICE enforcement as an economic threat, noting that high-profile detentions could deter tourism and damage tax revenues that support local investment.
Police departments in Atlanta, Seattle, and Los Angeles have announced they will not cooperate with ICE in enforcement matters. Several Democratic lawmakers have introduced bills prohibiting ICE activity near matches, though those measures are stalled in the GOP-controlled House.
A Department of Homeland Security official stated the agency is working with federal, state, local, and international partners to ensure a safe and secure environment. Christine Bolaños, communications director at Workers Defense Action Fund, countered that many in the Latino immigrant community grew up with soccer and deserve to know the real risks attending the games.
Author James Rodriguez: "Immigrant advocates have every right to mobilize, but the tension between a global sporting event and aggressive ICE enforcement reveals a fundamental contradiction the Biden administration has failed to resolve."
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