Civil immigration enforcement will not take place at FIFA World Cup games or events in Los Angeles, federal officials have told Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, following protests by a union representing stadium workers over fears of anti-immigrant crackdowns.
Outlining security plans for the eight World Cup fixtures in Los Angeles, Luna said on Monday that officials from the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not be deployed in the city during the tournament.
SoFi Stadium, which will be known as the Los Angeles Stadium during the World Cup, will host the USA’s opening game against Paraguay on June 12.
“A couple of weeks ago there was some reporting, or rumours, about ICE potentially being at the FIFA games or events,” Luna said at a news conference.
“I personally called the head of Homeland Security here for the LA region and what he stated is that there will be federal agents … because it’s going to take all of us to make sure that all the venues, the scoped and unscoped events, are secure.
“But in regard to civil immigration enforcement, they told us that specifically would not be occurring at any of the games.
“Any of that is subject to change, but I have trust that they’re giving me the appropriate information because if that starts occurring, we’re going to have a whole new host of problems,” he added.
Immigration raids by masked ICE agents in Los Angeles last year prompted a wave of demonstrations in the region.
Last month, workers at the stadium threatened to go on strike over the deployment of ICE agents and demanded federal guarantees that the immigration agents would not be used.
Workers at the world’s most expensive sports arena said any ICE presence would create a climate of fear for themselves and for fans.
“ICE should have no role in these games,” Isaac Martinez, a stadium cook, said at a protest outside the venue.
“We do not want to live in fear coming to work, or fear being detained going home.”
Protests anticipated at Iran World Cup games
The venue will also be in the limelight for hosting two of Iran’s three group-stage games amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, prompting a regional conflict and raising fears over the Iranian team’s participation in the tournament.
Iran and the US are in negotiations to end their three-month-old war.
Luna said law enforcement would increase staffing around Iran’s matches, with authorities monitoring possible protests or other activity near the stadium and fan zones.
Iran are scheduled to play their first match of the tournament on June 15 in LA, a region home to the largest concentration of Iranians outside Iran.
“Iran does bring a different dynamic because of the current world events,” Luna said.
“So there will be additional staffing for some of those games.”
Drone usage restrictions
Officials also warned that drones would be subject to strict enforcement around World Cup venues, with temporary flight restrictions expected around facilities.
“If a drone’s violating a temporary flight restriction, the capability exists to bring that drone down into a safe location away from the crowds,” said Patrick Grandy, FBI assistant director in charge.
“We are going to be constantly monitoring the areas around the facilities, looking for violators of those temporary flight restrictions,” Grandy said, warning of “a zero-tolerance policy” for those who willingly violate the restrictions.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the security effort would bring an unusually large law enforcement presence to the region.
“Between the dates of June 11th, all the way through July 19th, if you are a criminal, this is a terrible time to commit a crime,” Hochman said.
“The district attorney’s office will prosecute you, and you will be punished.”
