Will ICE Target the FIFA World Cup?
As Trump touts “hospitality,” DHS preps to staff World Cup events with the same agents deporting undocumented workers and surveilling immigrant communities.
WASHINGTON — With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to become the largest sporting event in history, the United States is preparing to host matches across 11 major cities. The Joe Biden-era pitch to "welcome the world" has now taken on a different tone under President Donald Trump, who recently signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The task force is charged with coordinating federal support for both the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, working across executive agencies to manage planning, security, and logistics. While the administration promotes this as a sign of national readiness and hospitality, immigrant communities and advocates are expressing quiet alarm.
The task force includes the Department of Homeland Security — the same agency currently overseeing controversial immigration initiatives, including Project Homecoming, a federally funded program that incentivizes self-deportation for undocumented immigrants.
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The federal coordination effort is expected to include DHS, CBP, and other security agencies — the same institutions currently executing and expanding immigration enforcement programs that have sparked nationwide protests and legal challenges.
At issue is whether these same forces can be trusted to administer an event that purports to represent global unity, especially as Trump and his allies escalate anti-immigrant policies elsewhere in government.
11 Host Cities — 1 Question: Who’s Welcome?
The U.S. cities slated to host World Cup matches — Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle — are preparing for an unprecedented influx of international visitors, workers, and media.
But many of those same cities have immigrant populations already facing heightened enforcement and surveillance. The Trump administration has not publicly addressed how immigration enforcement will operate around these events, or what safeguards, if any, will be in place for undocumented or mixed-status fans and workers.
There is no indication in the White House's public materials whether temporary visa policies will be relaxed, whether entry bans will be enforced, or how international attendees from politically targeted countries — such as those previously affected by travel bans — will be treated during the 2025 and 2026 tournaments.
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Congressional Support — but Limited Clarity
The Congressional FIFA World Cup 2026 Caucus, composed of over 30 members of Congress, has been formed to provide a platform for legislative discussion around tournament logistics. Its stated priorities include transportation, infrastructure, small business support, economic development, and public safety.
Notably absent from the caucus's published materials is any discussion of immigrant protections, civil liberties, or enforcement boundaries during the tournament. The caucus is bipartisan, including lawmakers from both immigrant-heavy districts and districts aligned with Trump's broader immigration agenda.
Migrant Insider asked one of the members of the Caucus, Rep. Nellie Pou, D-New Jersey, on her thoughts about it. Watch the video below:
Pou said the World Cup will be safe for foreign visitors, despite the horror stories of immigration agents at American airports. On Wednesday, World Cup officials were asked for their papers when the Coast Guard boarded Barefoot Princess, a yacht Telemundo had booked for a party.
“Due to delays caused by a routine Coast Guard inspection, Telemundo canceled its One Year To Go celebration event in Miami yesterday,” said the network in a statement. “We regret the inconvenience to our guests and appreciate their understanding. We look forward to continuing the road to the FIFA world Cup 26 and bringing this historic tournament to our viewers,” the statement continued.
The Coast Guard said the yacht was cited for unspecified safety violations.
Interagency Messaging vs. Migrant Reality
The White House World Cup Task Force describes its mission as “facilitating comprehensive planning… that reflect the values, security, and hospitality of the United States.” However, in recent weeks, the administration has reallocated $250 million from the State Department to fund Project Homecoming, which offers migrants financial incentives to leave the country voluntarily — a program also administered by DHS.
This juxtaposition raises significant questions: What message does it send when the same agency charged with removing migrants is also charged with welcoming foreign fans? Can undocumented people — or even naturalized citizens with tenuous immigration histories — attend these games without fear?
The Executive Order and associated messaging make no mention of how data from ticketing, travel, or hospitality services might intersect with federal immigration databases — a key concern for those wary of surveillance or data-sharing agreements between agencies like DHS and private vendors.
The Stakes Ahead
With the FIFA Club World Cup scheduled for 2025 and the FIFA World Cup 2026 just over a year away, the infrastructure for one of the world’s largest gatherings is already under construction. But for many immigrants and visitors, infrastructure is not the issue — trust is.
The administration’s statements emphasize “security,” “values,” and “hospitality.” Yet, without clear, transparent guarantees about immigration enforcement boundaries, data privacy, and travel protections, it remains unclear whether these events will truly be safe — or if they’ll become another front in the administration’s broader immigration crackdown.
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If you live in or near a host city and have information about immigration enforcement activities connected to World Cup preparations, we’d love to hear from you. Let us know at tips@migrantinsider.com.