“Save the World Cup”
How ICE operations should be prevented at the 2026 World Cup
April 4, 2026 – 2:05 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, there is not only anticipation and euphoria, but also concerns about the situation in the USA. A plan is now intended to curb ICE operations.
The field of participants for the 2026 World Cup has been complete for a few days. However, there are still plenty of question marks ahead of the XXL tournament in North America, which particularly affect fans traveling to the USA. Are you getting into the country without any problems? Do you have to fear ICE operations there? A political plan should at least prevent the latter.
Three Democratic congressmen want to curb the influence of the controversial immigration authorities around the World Cup with three bills. One of the drafts is entitled “Save the World Cup Act”.
The plan comes from Democratic Representative Nellie Pou from New Jersey and stipulates that ICE officers will have a limited field of activity during the tournament: They should not be allowed to operate within a mile, i.e. about 1.6 kilometers, of World Cup stadiums or official fan festivals.
“Less than 90 days before kickoff, the World Cup should bring the world together, not leave families wondering if ICE officers are waiting for them outside stadiums,” Pou said. The politician reported on an exchange with Todd Lyons, the interim ICE director: “When I recently asked the head of ICE directly for a simple assurance that they would stay away from the games, he refused. That is unacceptable.”
We need your consent to be included by our editorial team Instagram-View content. You can use this one (and all others as well). Instagram-Content on t-online.de) can be displayed and deactivated again with one click.
Pou is supported in her venture by LaMonica McIver and Eric Swalwell. Both are also Democratic congressmen and have introduced other bills. McIver has brought forward the “Protect World Cup Attendees Act”. This would prohibit the use of federal funds for immigration enforcement during the tournament.
Swalwell has now launched the draft “Safe Passage to the World Cup Act”. Local public transport is coming into focus. ICE officers should not be allowed to carry out checks or even raids on public transport or on public transport.
Pou summarized the background of the legislative package. “There can be no successful tournament if fans and players have to constantly look around,” said the Democrat. “We cannot allow fear to dominate this moment and ruin the Games.”
