Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told lawmakers this week that ICE is planning to play a key role in securing World Cup men’s soccer events in the U.S. this summer. Some of those lawmakers aren’t convinced it’s a great idea.
Rep. Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), who serves a district where at least one World Cup match is planned, asked Lyons about ICE’s plans for the events on Tuesday.
“Ma’am, ICE – specifically Homeland Security Investigations – is a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup,” Lyons told her. “We’re dedicated to securing that operation and we’re dedicated to the security of all the participants, as well as visitors.”
“You realize that if they feel that they’re are going to be wrongfully incarcerated or wrongfully pulled out, that’s going to hurt this entire process,” Pou responded. She noted that visitor confidence has been “plummeting” recently.
Following the deaths of two U.S. citizens (Renee Good and Alex Pretti) at the hands of federal agents during the “Operation Metro Surge” illegal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, Minn., already this year, ICE has faced intense criticism. Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) – from another state where matches are planned – also said residents in his district feel “terrorized” by ICE enforcement, even citizens.
Good and Pretti’s deaths are not the only immigration actions that have been faced with backlash. There have been questions about the recruitment process, policies to enter homes without warrants that may go against the U.S. Constitution and detention of minors.
Border czar Tom Homan Thursday announced that the “Operation Metro Surge” would conclude in Minneapolis and a significant drawdown of ICE personnel has already started. However, as Audacy station WCCO News Talk reported, the operation had left questions and lingering issues in its wake.
“A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to give immigrants detained in Minnesota access to attorneys immediately after they are taken into custody and before they are transferred out of state,” the station reported Friday. It said detainees “faced so many logistical barriers to contacting legal counsel that it was likely the Department of Homeland Security had stepped on their constitutional rights.”
Still, Lyons said that “ICE is dedicated to ensuring that everyone who visits the facilities will have a safe and secure event,” during the World Cup.
According to the FIFA World Cup website, this year’s event will be the largest in its 96-year history. North America will host 48 teams from around the globe in 104 fixtures from June 11 to July 19.
In the U.S., matches are scheduled in New York; New Jersey; the Bay Area near San Francisco, Calif.; Atlanta, Ga.; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; Philadelphia, Pa., and Seattle, Wash. Canadian matches are scheduled in Toronto and Vancouver. Mexican matches are scheduled in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.
Pou, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Task Force overseeing World Cup security, announced Thursday that she and other Democrat task force members are calling for the Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States to convene an emergency hearing on whether ICE activities might actually threaten the success of the World Cup.
“DHS’s out-of-control operations in Minneapolis and refusal to guarantee a safe and secure World Cup free of militant ICE operations jeopardize the safety of the general public, put the security of foreign travelers at risk, and erode the United States’ reputation as a welcoming host,” the members said in a letter to Task Force Chairman Michael T. McCaul (R-Texas). “Hosting the World Cup is a generational opportunity to illustrate to the global community the very best of America, and we only have one chance to get it right.”