A group of immigrant and civil rights organizations issued a travel advisory on Thursday warning foreign tourists to reconsider travel to Florida for FIFA World Cup matches over the government’s illegal immigration enforcement tactics and detention centers like “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Sunshine State.
The advisory suggested fans visiting from other countries carry IDs and register travel with their consulate before coming to the U.S. for the tournament, which kicks off in June.
“Recent reporting and civil-rights litigation document growing instances in which visitors, tourists, lawful residents, and even U.S. citizens have been detained, questioned, held in immigration custody, or removed from the United States following encounters with federal immigration enforcement and local law enforcement acting under expansive immigration partnerships,” the alert said, citing enforcement actions in Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ moves to have local police partner with federal immigration officials.
The organizations also pointed to alleged instances in which tourists or U.S. citizens were detained.
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In a press conference outside FIFA’s downtown offices near Miami, the groups said they were not calling for a boycott, but they would not take it off the table in the future as fans prepare to visit the city.
“We’re using this opportunity to really urge visitors and tourists to have a calculated move about whether or not they’re going to come,” Yareliz Mendez-Zamora, coordinator for American Friends Service Committee, a social justice and humanitarian nonprofit, said at the press conference.
Others, including former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, have warned fans against traveling to the U.S. for the games over the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The coalition warned that travelers could face increased enforcement during what they described as an aggressive immigration crackdown under the current administration.
“We’re just warning people of the risks … under an environment where every, not just law enforcement agency but state agency, has been deputized to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement,” said Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
“What we don’t want is our fans being harassed by immigration enforcement when they’re just trying to attend the game,” Kennedy continued, adding that he wanted “assurances that there won’t be immigration enforcement happening at these games indiscriminately.”
Dariel Gomez, a field organizer for the ACLU of Florida, said the groups were not aiming to spread fear or panic but to “offer a sobering reality check” that some people may face racial profiling or be detained.
“Because of these programs a simple traffic stop here in Miami is no longer just a routine interaction, for too many people a simple interaction by police now comes with the fear of deportation,” Gomez said.
The groups also raised concerns about the recent instances in Minneapolis in which federal immigrant agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, as well as the federal government’s new travel bans. The Trump administration included some exceptions to the ban for players, coaches and their families, but Haiti and Iran were not covered. Foreign spectators, media and corporate sponsors who wish to attend the events would still be impacted by the ban unless they qualify for another exemption.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who awarded the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” to President Donald Trump in December, previously said that “fans from all over the world will be welcome.”
The White House has also created a FIFA task force, which includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is a native of Miami.
In December, the White House did not rule out whether immigration raids were possible around the soccer matches this summer, of which seven are scheduled for South Florida.
