ICE fears cast shadow over World Cup for minority fans in US

Haiti’s first World Cup appearance since 1974 has become a powerful moment of national pride, but for Emile, a Haitian living in Ohio, it is overshadowed by fear tied to US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“Singing my country’s national anthem in a stadium in front of the whole world is a historic moment that no one would want to miss,” the truck driver in his 40s, who requested anonymity, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“But at the same time, I think twice. I don’t want to be arrested by ICE,” he added, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency responsible for detaining and deporting undocumented migrants.

“My lawyer advised me not to fly so I don’t get caught at the airport,” he said.

His concerns echo those of many in immigrant communities who have watched Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across multiple US cities, often carried out by heavily armed and masked officers.

Outrage peaked when ICE officers shot and killed two American demonstrators in Minneapolis.

“Now, people are making sure they are aware of what they are doing, and they don’t feel safe,” Monica Sarmiento of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights told AFP.

“They are afraid. We have seen very aggressive tactics from ICE that have gone after not only undocumented communities but also people with protected status.”

Sarmiento said 70% of those arrested, detained and deported have no criminal record.

“Many of them have been here for decades, paying taxes for decades,” she added, condemning what she called “a fearful and hostile environment across the country, not only for the World Cup but every single day.”

Seventy-eight of the 104 World Cup matches will be held in the United States, which is co-hosting the June 11 to July 19 tournament with Canada and Mexico.

The possibility of ICE activity around US matches has sparked concerns within the US Hispanic community, which makes up about 20% of the US population and is concentrated in California, Texas and Florida, with significant representation in cities such as Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas and New York.

The Haitian community, estimated at about 850,000 people in 2024, is also largely concentrated in Miami and New York.

The Trump administration has sought to end temporary protected status for which Emile and others are eligible. It shields them from deportation to their home country, one of the poorest in the world and one still grappling with political instability, economic crisis and gang violence.

Serious rights violations

Fears have been fueled by reports, including one from Human Rights Watch, which said an asylum-seeker who attended the Club World Cup final last year in New Jersey with his children was arrested by ICE and deported to his country of origin.

Some rights organizations also fear ICE will target foreign tourists around stadiums and in the numerous fan zones where supporters are expected to gather.

More than 120 US civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, issued a travel advisory in April warning of the risk of serious rights violations for fans, players, journalists and other visitors.

The signatories said travelers to the United States could face denial of entry, arrest, detention and deportation, racial profiling, and “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and even death while in ICE detention or custody.”

ICE, one of several agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, has long been involved in security operations at major sporting events such as the Super Bowl.

“International visitors who legally come to the United States for the World Cup have nothing to worry about,” a DHS spokesperson told AFP.

“What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether they are in the US illegally.”

World football’s governing body, FIFA, responding to a question from AFP, said it “is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and strives to promote the protection of these rights.”

DAILYSABAH