ICE director refuses to commit to pausing operations for 2026 World Cup | World Cup 2026
The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told a congressional committee Tuesday that his agency is a “key part of the overall World Cup security apparatus” and refused to commit to suspending operations in the run-up to this summer’s tournament matches.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted this summer by the United States, Mexico and Canada, with 78 of the 104 matches taking place in the United States. Various entities have estimated that as many as 10 million people could visit the 11 U.S. host cities of the quadrennial tournament. However, ICE’s role in Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — including an extensive and widespread operation in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metro area in which two people were killed by federal agents — has raised serious concerns among fans.
Speaking before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Todd Lyons testified publicly for the first time since the deaths of two Minnesotans, Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Near the end of a hearing marked by verbal sparring with Democratic representatives, Lyons was questioned by Rep. Nellie Pou, who represents New Jersey’s Ninth District. The Pou district includes East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium, site of the World Cup final and seven other matches, including England’s group stage final against Panama.
After declaring that “visitors’ confidence is collapsing and putting the World Cup in jeopardy”, Pou asked Lyon if the ICE would commit to suspending its operations around FIFA events.
“ICE, and specifically Homeland Security Investigations, is a key part of the overall World Cup security apparatus,” Lyons said. “We are committed to making this operation safe and we are committed to ensuring the safety of all of our participants as well as visitors.”
Pou replied: “You realize that if [fans] do they feel like they’re going to be wrongly incarcerated, wrongly removed, that it’s going to undermine this whole process? I hope you are aware of this.
Lyons responded by stating that “ICE is committed to ensuring that everyone who visits the facility will have a safe and secure event.” »
In his opening remarks, Lyons said ICE arrested 379,000 people in the last year, 8,400 of whom were known or suspected gang members or terrorists. Federal data has shown that the majority of people arrested by ICE have no criminal history.
ICE’s actions, along with other U.S. foreign policy measures, have resulted in limited calls to boycott the tournament.
As early as last year, CEOs of World Cup host cities expressed concern about the “uncertainty” they said would arise from Trump’s crackdown on immigration.
The ICE’s involvement in international sporting events was also scrutinized during the Winter Olympics in Italy. Protests in Milan against the agency’s role at the Games drew thousands of participants.
