ICE ‘Key Part' Of World Cup Security In NJ, Official Says

When the FIFA World Cup kicks off in June across the United States, ICE agents will be "a key part of the overall security apparatus" for the international soccer tournament, the agency's acting director said.

Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency's activities will not be paused during the tournament, which runs from June 11 through July 19, during a congressional oversight hearing held Tuesday into actions of ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents in recent weeks.

"ICE, specifically Homeland Security Investigations, is a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup," Lyons said. "We're dedicated to securing that operation and we're dedicated to the security of all our participants as well as visitors."

His reply came in response to a question from Rep. Nellie Pou, who represents New Jersey's 9th District. Pou's district includes MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, which is scheduled to host eight games, including the championship match on July 19.

The World Cup is the most popular sporting event internationally, and is a tourism boon to the metropolitan areas that host the tournament, with an estimated 5 million fans expected to attend the tournament, which features 104 games in stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Sports Illustrated reported.

That includes not only tourists from the countries of the 48 participating teams, from all over the world, but immigrants from those countries who now live in the United States.

Actions by ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations and Customs and Border Patrol agents have set off a firestorm of debate amid what the Trump administration says is an effort to remove violent undocumented immigrants.

The killings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minnesota in January, and multiple incidents of U.S. citizens being arrested and detained and children being removed and taken to detention facilities, have ignited public debate and have sparked concerns about the safety of those attending the World Cup, Pou said.

"Visitors' confidence is plummeting and jeopardizing the World Cup," Pou said. "Mr. Lyons, will you commit to ensure that ICE pauses its operations and raids at FIFA matches and other FIFA-sanctioned public events?"

"You realize that if they feel that they're going to be wrongfully incarcerated or wrongfully pulled out, that's going to hurt this entire process," Pou said to Lyons. "I hope you realize that."

"ICE is dedicated to ensuring that everyone that visits their facilities will have a safe and secure event," Lyons replied. You can watch the oversight hearing here; Pou's exchange with Lyons begins at the 3-hour, 2-minute mark.

The role of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations is different from the enforcement arm, a report by the Athletic said, operating mostly behind the scenes, though its agents have been pulled into some enforcement.

The Athletic report said the concern for fans is that a non-citizen could find themselves being detained over something minor and deported. The report said Human Rights Watch cited an incident in 2025 where an asylum seeker going to the Club World Cup final was arrested by New Jersey State Police over flying a drone in violation of a local ordinance. He told Human Rights Watch he was taking a photo of him and his two children, the report said. He was eventually deported, it said.

Some fans will be forced to watch from their home countries due to travel bans put in place by the Trump administration in December. Iran and Haiti are under full bans, and Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire are under partial bans, according to the order. The travel ban does not apply to the World Cup teams from those countries, including the coaches, players, staff and their immediate families.

Senegal is scheduled to play June 16 against France at MetLife Stadium. The tournament opens June 11 with Mexico and South Africa playing in Mexico City. The first match at MetLife is set for June 13 between Brazil and Morocco.

In January, the Trump administration also paused immigrant visas to 75 countries, though the U.S. State Department said that only applies to immigrant visas, not tourist/visitor visas. Among the 75 countries affected by that pause are the following World Cup participants: Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, and Uruguay.

Several other teams, who are seeking the final World Cup spots, are affected as well, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Jamaica, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Iraq, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In addition to the matches at MetLife, games are scheduled in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

The participating countries, as of Feb. 12, include the U.S., Mexico and Canada, plus the following: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Croatia, Curaçao, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.

The final six countries are to be decided in March.

Below is the list of countries affected by the full and partial travel ban announced in December.