# ICE presence at World Cup stirs concerns among fans, workers, advocates  
**Published:** 2026-06-12T18:44:39.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/12/repub/as-ice-presence-at-world-cup-looms-fans-and-local-leaders-prepare/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/ice-presence-at-world-cup-stirs-concerns-among-fans-workers-advocates

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway, soccer fans, stadium workers and civil rights advocates are expressing deep concerns about [the planned presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at games](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/12/repub/as-ice-presence-at-world-cup-looms-fans-and-local-leaders-prepare/). The Trump administration has indicated that ICE will help provide security at the tournament, which kicked off Thursday and will run through July 19 across 11 U.S. host cities.

White House border czar Tom Homan told CBS News that ICE officers will focus primarily on public safety rather than immigration enforcement. However, many in the soccer community remain skeptical. Avram Kline, founder of the Newcomers Football Club in New York, which supports asylum seekers and refugees, said the presence of immigration agents could deter attendance. "To say that you might get racially profiled, you might get interviewed, or you might be pulled aside. Yeah, that's incredibly embarrassing," Kline said.

The American Civil Liberties Union issued a travel advisory in April warning international fans, journalists and players that they could face arbitrary denial of entry, arrest, detention, or surveillance as part of the administration's immigration crackdown. Recent incidents have raised concerns further. Earlier this week, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was set to become the first Somali World Cup referee, was denied entry at Miami International Airport. A striker for the Iraqi national team was detained and questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago's O'Hare airport, though he was ultimately allowed to enter. Iraq's team photographer was denied entry.

Stadium workers and union representatives are also alarmed. Labor organizers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles negotiated language in a new contract allowing workers to strike if ICE "threatens worker safety during the World Cup." In Atlanta, volunteers have been knocking on doors and conducting training sessions to inform residents of their rights when interacting with immigration agents without warrants.

Logan Kennedy, an assistant professor of criminal justice at East Carolina University, said that while ICE has historically provided security at large sporting events, its approach has become far more aggressive under the Trump administration. "This would just make us look horrible from an international perspective, and reduce our legitimacy from a policing standpoint," Kennedy said regarding potential enforcement actions at World Cup events.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/12/repub/as-ice-presence-at-world-cup-looms-fans-and-local-leaders-prepare/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/12/repub/as-ice-presence-at-world-cup-looms-fans-and-local-leaders-prepare/.