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By Toby Meyjes
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Amnesty International has called on the Trump administration to guarantee Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will not conduct civil immigration enforcement at or around 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches and fan festivals.
Last month, acting ICE director Todd Lyons had refused to rule out enforcement action near games and said agents would be a "key part" of the overall security apparatus for the tournament.
In a report published on Monday, titled "Humanity Must Win," London-based Amnesty called on the U.S. and host cities to "end indiscriminate raids, ethnic profiling, arbitrary arrests, mass detention and unlawful deportations in the USA."
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Newsweek has contacted an ICE spokesperson for comment in an email sent outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The role of ICE agents at the tournament, held jointly in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, has come increasingly under the microscope with the first game set to kick off on June 11. Some 11 of the 16 host cities are located in the United States.
Amid the concern, earlier this month, House Democrats introduced a series of bills aimed at curbing ICE's involvement. One of the three, the Save the World Cup Act, introduced by New Jersey Democratic Representative Nellie Pou, would ban civil immigration enforcement near World Cup matches and related fan festivals.
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What To Know
In its report, Amnesty said the tournament could become a "stage for repression" and claimed the U.S. was facing a "human rights emergency." It highlighted the killings of U.S. citizens Renee Good, Alex Pretti and Ruben Ray Martinez by federal agents and said immigration enforcement and mass detention in the U.S. posed "perhaps the starkest threat to both visiting and local participants in the World Cup."
It pointed to reports that in host cities, Dallas, Houston and Miami, ICE had signed agreements on collaboration with local law enforcement.
Amnesty said U.S. entry restrictions could affect fans from several countries; four qualified teams are from countries whose supporters face major U.S. travel barriers.
Among its other recommendations, the group called on the U.S. to lift travel bans, drop proposals to vet social media accounts and take measures to "protect LGBTQI+ people from discrimination, harassment and abuse."
What People Are Saying
Acting ICE director Todd Lyons, speaking before a House panel in February, said: "ICE, specifically Homeland Security Investigations, is a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup."
Amnesty International, in its "Humanity Must Win" report, wrote: "There is still time to save the 2026 World Cup from becoming a stage for repression and a platform for authoritarian practices. Host governments must meet their obligations under international human rights law, while FIFA, national FAs and sponsors all have clear responsibilities to respect human rights and use their significant leverage to protect fans, players, journalists, workers and local communities.
"It is these people—not governments, FIFA or sponsors—to whom football belongs, and their rights must be at the center of this tournament."
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