Tom Homan, the "border czar" of the White House, made it clear that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not prioritize the detention of immigrants during the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off next Wednesday, June 11, in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
In an interview with the ABC network, Homan was emphatic: the agency's mission during the tournament will focus exclusively on national security and the protection of the event, not on immigration operations.
"The priority is not to arrest illegal individuals."
“We have a national security responsibility that we will fulfill,” Homan stated, dismissing the idea that ICE will allocate its resources to raids against undocumented immigrants during the weeks of the championship.
The official's strongest statement was straightforward: “[The mission of ICE] is not to arrest individuals who are in the country illegally.”
However, Homan left an important exception open: if a security threat involving a foreigner in an irregular situation is detected during the tournament, the agency will take action.
"If we identify a national security issue that involves an illegal foreigner, we will certainly take action on it," he warned.
When asked whether foreign fans should fear immigration arrests, Homan was emphatic: “We are focused on national security issues, and that is where we will concentrate our efforts.”
ICE present in all venues, but with a different focus
In May, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Markwayne Mullin, had already confirmed that ICE agents will be present every day at all tournament venues.
"The ICE and HSI will be present every day. They will work with local and federal partners to ensure the FIFA World Cup," said Mullin, specifying that the deployment aims to combat ticket counterfeiting, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and the sale of counterfeit merchandise.
Mullin also clarified that the goal is not to "round up masses of individuals," although he did not rule out arrests if individuals wanted for serious crimes or included on counter-terrorism watch lists are identified.
A context of high migratory tension
In December 2025, Andrew Giuliani, coordinator of the World Cup at the White House, had already raised alarms by declaring that Trump "does not rule out anything that makes this country safer", including possible raids during the tournament.
In April 2026, Amnesty International and more than 120 civil rights organizations issued a formal travel warning for the World Cup, highlighting arbitrary detentions and "inhuman" conditions in detention centers.
ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and NAACP also demanded binding human rights guarantees from FIFA, noting that ICE had already signed 1,544 agreements with local agencies in host cities such as Dallas, Houston, and Miami.
The Senate approves $70 billion for ICE
On Friday, the United States Senate approved a package of 70 billion dollars with a vote of 52 to 47, primarily aimed at strengthening the operations of ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
This funding would add to approximately 100 billion dollars in unspent DHS funds for the enforcement of immigration laws.
The measure, pushed by the Republicans, was criticized by the Democrats and represents one of Trump's biggest legislative victories in immigration matters, and now moves to the House of Representatives.
The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, featuring a total of 104 matches, of which 78 will be played on U.S. soil across 11 host cities. The event is expected to attract up to 10 million visitors to North America.
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