While the stage is set for the FIFA World Cup 2026 commencing on June 11, the mood in the host nations is not entirely euphoric. In Mexico’s capital, where the first match is to be held, teachers associated with the CNTE union have toppled statues of football players and disrupted traffic in their protests for better wages and reversals of pension laws.
But it’s not just Mexico. In the U.S., which is set to host 78 of the 104 FIFA matches, advocacy groups have raised concerns of a ‘climate of fear’ and have been mobilising campaigns amid concerns over immigration enforcement activity near sport venues.
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)’s flagship campaign ‘Football Unites the World’ celebrates the sport’s power as a unifying force. The upcoming World Cup series has already fallen short of this campaign with concerns looming over the safety and rights of workers, fans, journalists and communities due to travel bans and heightened Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities.
Andrea Florence, the executive director for the Sport & Rights Alliance, told the Hindu,“President [Donald] Trump’s harsh anti-human rights rhetoric, aggressive immigration policies, and mass deportation rates have already cast a dark shadow over the world’s biggest sporting event.”
‘Not so inclusive’
The Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown has long raised concerns for what the global sports governing body regards as ‘the biggest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history’
Firstly, the travel bans effectively exclude various countries from the sports event. The Trump administration has fully restricted and limited the entry of nationals from 19 countries such as Haiti and Iran whose teams have qualified to contest in the FIFA tournament. It has also issued partial restrictions for nationals from 20 countries including Senegal, which is participating in the World Cup series. While Iran’s integral football team has been granted permission, reports stated that Iran has accused the U.S. of denying visas to various staff members.
Secondly, data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse show that a high presence of ICE activities overlaps with cities where tournaments are scheduled. The U.S. is hosting matches across 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Six of these cities are located in the States of Texas, Georgia, California and Florida— four of the top five States with the most number of persons detained by the ICE in Fiscal Year 2026.
Additionally, offices in San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles and New York where tournaments are being hosted had over 68,000 people in ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) monitoring programmes as of April this year. These are also among the top five cities with the highest number of persons in ATD programmes.
ICE, the U.S. federal law enforcement agency, has emerged as the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and its harsh raids and use of force have been met with outrage and protests.
Latest data, as on April 2026, show that about 60,000 people were held in ICE detention and over 1.8 lakh individuals were being monitored.
An analysis by the Brookings Institution suggested that around four lakh people have been booked into ICE since Mr. Trump took office and more than 1.45 lakh U.S. citizen children have likely experienced a parent being booked into detention during this period. Further, findings by the Deportation Data Project reveal that ICE is making more arrests than usual and has started making more street arrests and arrests of people without criminal convictions.
However, the impact that ICE activities would have on the sporting event was not unforeseen. What has been missing is accountability from both the government and FIFA.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW), in April, said that FIFA should press the U.S. government for an “ICE Truce” during the World Cup given the risks that abusive immigration operations pose to sports fans.
FIFA has neither clarified accountability nor given assurances. Instead, the organisational body had presented Mr. Trump with a “FIFA Peace Prize” last year.
Ms. Florence pointed out, “FIFA’s weak response to human rights threats means that we are witnessing a distinctively dangerous climate of fear, uncertainty, and repression.”
Stands to the streets
These concerns have prompted efforts and campaigns from immigration advocacy groups to protect fans and residents. Their actions range from campaigns to awareness and threats to go on a strike.
For instance, the Florida Rapid Response Alliance for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (RAISE) has compiled resources to support immigrant communities. Their free and confidential hotline is open to people who want to report ICE/immigration enforcement activity.
El Movimiento DFW, a civil rights group in Dallas, has been providing whistle kits with information on how to obtain a free consultation with an immigration attorney in case ICE agents detain people near venues.
In SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, a FIFA host venue, workers have threatened to go on a strike if ICE agents are deployed at the event.
Another prominent campaign, ‘No ICE in the Cup’, operates as a national call to action demanding ICE to stay out of stadiums, watch parties, local businesses and streets where people gather to celebrate the game.
International organisations including Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International have also released advisories anticipating increased ICE activity.
With fear and uncertainty looming over residents, journalists, and fans, it remains to be seen how the event will unfold. As Ms. Florence said, “We don’t know what to expect, and that is the issue.”
Published – June 10, 2026 08:05 pm IST
