As DHS stays vague on enforcement plans, state and local leaders move to shield immigrant communities during Super Bowl week.
With Super Bowl LX just a few days away, set to take place on February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, attention is not only focused on the game and the halftime show. At the center of the debate is also the possible presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during the event and surrounding activities, a possibility that has generated fear in immigrant communities and tension between federal and local authorities in California.
For months, Donald Trump administration officials assured that ICE would not pause its operations for the Super Bowl. In recent days, however, the message from Washington has been less clear. Unidentified sources cited by TMZ Sports have claimed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has decided not to conduct immigration operations inside the stadium or at official NFL events during Super Bowl week. According to these reports, there will be no immigration arrests inside Levi’s Stadium on game day.
However, the DHS itself has not confirmed or denied this information. In public statements, its spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, merely pointed out that the agency works with federal and local agencies to ensure security at “major events” and that it will not disclose operational details or information about deployed personnel. “Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear,” she said.
State and municipal authorities have reacted with a mixture of preventive preparation and political defiance. California Governor Gavin Newsom and State Attorney General Rob Bonta urged local law enforcement to investigate any possible illegal conduct by federal agents acting within their jurisdiction. Similarly, mayors and council members in the South Bay area have reiterated that their police will not cooperate with immigration operations.
