The US authorities said this on WednesdayThe country’s president, Donald Trump, “is not ruling anything out”Nor will raids be carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE, for its acronym in English) at the 2026 World Cup matches, which will be held in June and July in North America, and they noted that ICE may make arrests during encounters.
“I have known the president for 25 years, and he does not rule out anything that would help improve the security of American citizens,” Andrew Giuliani, director of the White House working group to prepare for the men’s soccer World Cup, said at a press conference.
The son of the former New York mayor and former Trump lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, also specified that it would be possible to see arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during clashes between national teams, whether in stadiums or in their vicinity, from then on. Trump ‘wants people to come to the United States legally’ He added: “In this way we can also determine the identity of those who are here.”
“We want to welcome everyone to come legally,” the official stressed, also noting that the visa evaluation process is no different for those who want to go to the United States specifically for the World Cup. “Even with this scheduling system FIFA appointments have priority“Although people can move forward in line if they have a ticket (for a match), they will still be subject to the usual control procedures required to enter the country,” he said.
As I mentioned, the United States hopes “Between five and seven million international visitors” During a tournament in which Washington gives priority to security. He stressed, “We celebrate the great enthusiasm that this tournament will bring (…). What we do not accept and will not tolerate are disturbances that threaten the safety of fans or communities.”
For this reason, it highlighted, among other measures, the creation of the Federal Police (FBI) and the Department of National Security “International Police Coordination Centre”As well as spending $625 million (more than €536 million) on “law enforcement support, from training and exercises to cybersecurity and emergency response,” and $500 million (about €429 million) on systems against illegal drones.