The ICE debate has overshadowed preparations for the World Cup in Miami
The debate over the role of U.S. immigration services during the 2026 FIFA World Cup has intensified again in Florida, where immigrant rights organizations are seeking written and publicly available guarantees that immigration enforcement operations will not be carried out at stadiums, in fan zones, hotels, transport hubs, and other places connected to the tournament. The demands intensified after Rodney Barreto, the president of the Miami World Cup Organizing Committee, stated that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told him that agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, would not be at the stadium. According to a report by the public media outlet WLRN, Barreto emphasized that the tournament should not turn into an operation to arrest visitors, but into a sporting event open to everyone who comes to the matches.
Immigrant rights organizations, however, argue that private assurances are not enough. Florida Immigrant Coalition and other groups have said that a personal statement by a political official or a member of the organizing committee does not constitute official policy, nor does it provide legal protection to fans, families of mixed immigration status, workers, and international visitors. According to a statement by Yareliz Zamora of the American Friends Service Committee, reported by WLRN, if the U.S. administration truly wants to ensure that immigrants and foreign visitors can safely participate in World Cup events, then it would have to formally announce a moratorium on immigration operations connected to the tournament.
The issue is particularly sensitive because the 2026 World Cup is being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the U.S. part of the tournament includes multiple cities with large numbers of international visitors. According to FIFA’s announcement, the competition will, for the first time, bring together 48 national teams and feature 104 matches. Miami, or Miami Gardens, is one of the U.S. host locations, and Hard Rock Stadium, which during the tournament is used under FIFA’s commercially neutral name Miami Stadium, is expected to host seven matches. For that very reason, the local debate about ICE is no longer only a Florida issue, but also part of the broader relationship between security preparation, immigration policy, and the reputation of one of the world’s largest sporting events.
Activists are demanding a written moratorium, not only verbal assurances
According to the demands reported by local media, immigrant rights advocates are seeking a formal federal moratorium on immigration enforcement operations connected to the World Cup, clear public instructions that would prohibit such activities at stadiums, in fan zones, transit points, and hotels, and greater transparency about the role of local law enforcement agencies that cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Their message is that organizers and authorities cannot ask fans for trust if they do not publish rules that bind all services involved. In doing so, they particularly warn that the fear does not concern only possible ICE agents at the stadium, but also the broader system of cooperation between local police and federal immigration institutions.
Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition told WLRN that in Florida this is not exclusively an ICE issue, because local law enforcement agencies are involved in the enforcement of immigration regulations through agreements known as 287(g). According to the same report, law enforcement agencies in all 67 Florida counties have signed such agreements with ICE. For families in which some members have regulated status and some do not, this means that the difference between a local police officer and a federal immigration officer can in practice feel very small or nonexistent.
For that reason, activists believe that the statement that ICE will not be “at the stadium” does not answer all questions. It is not clear, for example, whether such an assurance applies only to the stands and entrances, or also to surrounding zones, parking lots, public transport, airports, hotels, and official fan events. Nor is it clear whether immigration checks could be carried out in the days before and after matches, outside the stadium perimeter itself. Precisely these gray areas are the reason why organizations are demanding a written document, publicly released and understandable to visitors, rather than only a political message delivered in an informal conversation.
Miami expects hundreds of thousands of visitors and a major economic impact
According to Miami-Dade County documents, local authorities expect the 2026 World Cup to attract more than 600,000 visitors to the county and generate a direct economic impact of more than 500 million dollars. The same document states that matches in Miami-Dade County will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens between June 15 and July 18, 2026, including group-stage matches, a quarterfinal, and the third-place match. Alongside the stadium itself, local authorities also expect official events and activities at other locations, including the Miami Beach Convention Center, Bayfront Park, and Barry University.
Miami-Dade County adopted a framework for financial support of the hosting effort in May 2024. According to that document, up to 21 million dollars in direct cash support for the organizing committee is planned, up to 25 million dollars in services and public safety costs, and 3 million dollars for a legacy project connected to the tournament. The local authority states in the document that this is an event that brings significant international visibility, but also increased security, traffic, and operational requirements.
It is precisely this economic context that increases the political sensitivity of the debate. Miami’s tourism and business sector is interested in a stable and positive image of the city ahead of the tournament, while immigrant rights organizations warn that unclear rules could discourage some visitors or create an atmosphere of fear. According to a survey published by Axios Miami, a majority of surveyed residents of South Florida plan to participate in events connected to the World Cup, yet at the same time public debates are taking place about prices, public subsidies, traffic, and security. Such a combination of high expectations and political tensions makes the issue of immigration enforcement one of the more important local challenges in the final phase of preparations.
Visas, entry into the U.S., and concern over broader policy
Official U.S. information about travel to the World Cup states that Canadian and Bermudian citizens do not need additional authorization for tourist entry into the U.S., that visitors from countries included in the Visa Waiver Program can use the ESTA system, while fans from other countries must have a valid B1/B2 tourist or business visa. The U.S. State Department has also announced priority visa interview appointments for some ticket buyers, and FIFA reported a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the United States wants to enable fans to complete visa interviews on time and show that they meet the conditions for travel.
Still, possession of a visa or ESTA authorization does not mean an automatic right to enter the U.S. In a joint travel warning published by Amnesty International USA, human rights organizations stated that officers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection have broad powers when deciding on entry at border crossings and airports. In the same warning, the organizations list risks for foreign nationals, immigrant communities, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and journalists, including the possibility of questioning, searches of electronic devices, detention, or denial of entry.
Such warnings do not mean that every visitor will have difficulties, nor that immigration operations will be carried out at matches. They do, however, show that the 2026 World Cup is taking place in a political environment in which immigration enforcement, border control, and security powers are among the most contentious issues in U.S. public life. For tournament organizers, this creates an additional communication problem: fans need to be given clear and practical information about entry requirements, but the public also needs to be reassured that security measures will not grow into selective intimidation or profiling.
Security preparations also include federal coordination
U.S. authorities at the same time emphasize that security preparation is necessary because of the scale of the tournament. The White House established a special task force for the 2026 World Cup by an executive order in March 2025, with the President of the United States as chair of the task force and the Vice President as deputy. According to the text of the order published in the Federal Register, administrative support for the task force is located within the Department of Homeland Security, and federal agencies must report on planning and activities connected to the tournament.
In addition, according to the FIFA World Cup Grant Program administered by FEMA, 625 million dollars in federal support is planned for the security and preparedness of U.S. host cities. In its description of the program, FEMA states that the goal of the funding is to protect players, staff, visitors, sports facilities, and critical infrastructure, and to strengthen cities’ ability to respond to security threats. Such funds are intended for public safety, emergency services, and the protection of large gatherings, but for immigrant rights organizations the key question is whether security coordination will be clearly separated from immigration enforcement.
This is where the central conflict in the current debate lies. Security services and organizers must prevent violence, terrorism, traffic chaos, and other risks at an event that attracts enormous numbers of people. On the other hand, activists warn that the presence of federal and local security forces can have a different effect on communities that fear deportation, detention, or racial profiling. Without written rules, they argue, visitors cannot know where the standard security of a major sporting event ends and where immigration enforcement begins.
The tourism sector is trying to reduce fears, but is seeking predictability
Some tourism and business actors believe that the fears of international visitors may be overstated, especially when it comes to fans traveling with proper documents and tickets. According to WLRN, Barreto said that the tournament would be a great experience for everyone and that the U.S. administration is providing security resources to host cities. Such messages aim to preserve confidence in Miami as a global tourist destination and to prevent the impression that the World Cup will be marked by police or immigration checks instead of football.
But the tourism sector also depends on the perception of safety and ease of travel. Axios reported that the U.S. hospitality industry fears that visa obstacles, geopolitical tensions, and high travel costs could reduce the expected benefits of the tournament. According to the same report, some hoteliers in host cities believe that immigration and visa issues are already affecting demand from international guests. This does not mean that attendance will be weak, but it shows that political messages of openness and concrete administrative rules must be aligned.
For Miami, that balance is particularly important. The city and the wider region have strong ties with Latin America and the Caribbean, and international football events in South Florida have traditionally attracted audiences from different immigrant communities. If some of those communities conclude that attending a match carries the risk of contact with immigration authorities, the effect will not be measured only by the number of tickets sold, but also by trust in public institutions. That is why the demand for formal guarantees can also be viewed as a matter of public communication, not only as a legal or political demand.
What has not been officially confirmed so far
According to available information, no comprehensive federal document has been published that would, in written form, prohibit immigration operations connected to all World Cup locations in the U.S. It has also not been publicly confirmed that a possible absence of ICE would apply to all spaces connected with the tournament, including hotels, airports, fan zones, and transport hubs. The statement reported by the president of the Miami organizing committee refers primarily to the stadium, while activists are seeking a broader and legally clearer framework.
Nor has it been officially confirmed how local law enforcement agencies that participate in immigration partnerships will act in situations connected with the tournament. According to the demands of immigrant rights organizations, the public should know whether police, during the securing of matches and accompanying events, will collect information about immigration status, cooperate with ICE, or act exclusively within the framework of public safety. Without such information, activists believe, fans and local residents cannot realistically assess the risks.
In the weeks before the start of the tournament, the pressure is likely to continue. FIFA, local organizing committees, the U.S. administration, and host cities will have to respond simultaneously to security requirements, the needs of the tourism sector, and the concerns of human rights organizations. For a World Cup presented as the largest in football history, the question in Miami now is whether authorities will succeed in convincing the public that stadiums and the areas around them will be safe not only from violence and disorder, but also from the fear that a sporting event could become a pretext for immigration enforcement.
Sources:
- WLRN Public Media – report on the demands of immigrant organizations in Florida, statements by Rodney Barreto, and activists’ reactions (link)
- Amnesty International USA – travel advisory ahead of the 2026 World Cup and description of risks connected to entry into the U.S., immigration procedures, and travelers’ rights (link)
- U.S. Department of State – official information on visas and travel requirements for the U.S. for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official schedule and information on the format of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Miami-Dade County – document on financial support for hosting 2026 World Cup matches in Miami-Dade County (link)
- Federal Register – executive order establishing the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FEMA – description of the FIFA World Cup Grant Program for the security and preparedness of U.S. host cities (link)
- Axios – reports on the mood of South Florida residents and concerns in the tourism sector over travel obstacles ahead of the tournament (link)