World Cup excitement among immigrant communities in the United States has been dampened in recent weeks by the specter of federal agents at games and fan festivals across the country.
Federal officials have said that no large-scale immigration enforcement actions are planned at World Cup events. “We’re not there to go round up mass individuals,” Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, said in a recent TV interview.
However, the key lies in the definition of “large-scale.” Community organizations in Los Angeles are reporting daily on the raids that ICE is carrying out in neighborhoods. From early morning, Union del Barrio and other organizations post videos highlighting the raids taking place.
But the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdowns over the past year — including in some of the 11 U.S. host cities — have left people on edge anyway. Concerns intensified this week after reports of increased scrutiny for fans and participants at U.S. entry points, including a Somali soccer referee who was denied permission to enter.
“Everyone’s angst and fear around the World Cup is valid,” said Murad Awawdeh, leader of the New York Immigration Coalition. “These agencies cannot be trusted.”
In Los Angeles, a host city where President Trump sent 5,000 troops to quell immigration protests a year ago, the county sheriff, Robert Luna, called his counterpart at the local homeland security office about rumors of federal agents descending on World Cup games for immigration raids.
He said he was assured that it wasn’t going to happen. “I have trust they’re giving me the appropriate information,” Mr. Luna said, “because if that starts occurring, we’re going to have a whole new host of problems.”
Mr. Luna’s department does not take part in federal immigration enforcement, but it was drawn into the crisis last year when those operations in the Los Angeles area prompted large protests, which were met with an aggressive response from federal agents.
Unlike in California, local police departments in Florida are not barred by law from working with ICE. But officials in Miami, also a host city, said they would not be targeting immigrants during the games, or at the gatherings around them.
“On game days, we have no operations specifically around the stadium or around fan fest,” said Major Ellery Collado, commander of the Florida Highway Patrol’s Miami station.
