New York (AFP) – More than 120 rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), issued a travel advisory on Thursday warning that visitors to the 2026 World Cup could face “serious rights violations” due to the US government’s immigration policies. The coalition said fans, players, journalists, and other travelers to World Cup games in the United States risked being affected by what it described as the Trump administration’s “draconian immigration and anti-human rights agenda.”
The grouping called on football’s world governing body FIFA — whose president, Gianni Infantino, has close ties to President Donald Trump — to lobby the US government to ensure the safety of all travelers to the tournament. “FIFA has been paying lip service to human rights while cozying up with the Trump administration, putting millions of people at risk of being harmed and their basic rights violated,” said Jamil Dakwar, ACLU human rights program director. “It’s past time that FIFA use its leverage to push for meaningful policy changes and binding assurances that will make people feel safe to travel and enjoy the games.”
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The coalition advisory warned that foreigners visiting the United States for the World Cup face specific risks, including “arbitrary denial of entry and risk of arrest, detention or deportation; invasive social media screening and searches of electronic devices; violent and unconstitutional immigration enforcement and racial profiling.” The advisory also said visitors potentially faced “suppression of speech and protest and increased surveillance; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment – and even death” while detained by US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In response, FIFA pointed to article three of the FIFA Statutes as stating that “FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.” “The development and publication of the FWC2026 Sustainability and Human Rights Strategy, the FWC2026 Human Rights Framework, and the recently updated FIFA Statement on Human Rights Defenders and Media Representatives as well as the establishment of an FWC2026 Human Rights Advisory Group comprised of independent experts and the wide advertisement of the FIFA Human Rights Grievance Mechanism, are all evidence of FIFA’s commitment to human rights across all key activities and actors connected to the tournament,” the global governing body said in a statement.
The majority of matches at the World Cup — 78 out of 104 — are scheduled to take place in the United States, which is co-hosting the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico. Four qualified nations – Iran, Haiti, Senegal, and Ivory Coast – may find themselves without their supporters due to travel bans imposed by the US government. Trump has made anti-immigration policy the centerpiece of his second term.
Washington has assured that the administration’s immigration crackdown measures do not affect tourist visas — and, by extension, fans holding tickets for the World Cup. FIFA has also established an expedited consular appointment process for visa applications, though without guaranteeing that a visa will be granted. Concerns among supporters have intensified amid ongoing ICE operations targeting undocumented migrants. In January, two US citizens protesting the immigration crackdown were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, prompting widespread outrage.
© 2024 AFP
