Civil rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, issued a travel warning to fans who plan to travel to cities like Los Angeles to attend the 2026 World Cup due to the application of immigration policies.
The civil organizations said that in the case of Los Angeles, the operatives of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) have generated a climate of growing authoritarianism, social tensions and episodes of violencewhich have caused a deterioration in the human rights situation.
“With six weeks left until the 2026 World Cup begins, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has not yet made it publicly known how fans, journalists and local communities will be safe from arbitrary arrests, mass deportations and the repression of freedom of expression“, declared Amnesty International’s Director of Economic and Social Justice, Steve Cockburn.
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According to the report, the cities where 2026 World Cup matches are scheduled, as in the case of Los Angeles, recorded an increase in the number of immigration raidswhich led to complaints of racial discrimination and repression during civil protests.
Given the situation, international civil rights organizations warned that This environment can directly impact foreign visitors during the World Cupwhich begins on June 11, especially in areas with a high presence of immigrant communities.
From June 2025, The Los Angeles area and immigrant communities in Southern California have been targeted by operations by federal agencies for the purpose of arresting undocumented immigrants for deportation.
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The warnings issued by international non-governmental organizations include various risk situations that travelers could faceamong them:
- Arbitrary denial of entry to the United States.
- Arrests in conditions considered inhumane.
- Invasive revisions cell phones and social networks.
The series of accusations by Amnesty International and other global entities raised alarm bells among human rights groups, who considered that there are not sufficient guarantees by the US government, nor by the host cities nor by FIFA.
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The president of the United States Travel Association, Geoff Freeman, disagreed with the warning, stating that, Although there are legitimate concerns about entry policies, they are overblown..
“The proposition that visiting the United States represents a significant risk is not a good faith warning, but a political tactic designed to cause economic damage“Declared Freeman in an interview with the Univision network.
Since Trump’s return to the presidency, in January 2025, The United States recorded a drop in the number of international visitors following diplomatic controversies and travel restrictions for citizens of 19 countries.
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However, The celebration of the 2026 World Cup represents a key boost for the tourism sectorespecially in Los Angeles, which has eight games scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The authorities are confident that measures such as visa facilitation and global interest in football alleviate visitor concerns.
Despite this confidence, civil human rights organizations They insisted that there are no guarantees for visitors.
Keep reading:
· Protesters throw sex toys in protest against ICE in Los Angeles
· ICE arrests undocumented Hispanic man while his wife suffers from cancer, in California
· Young man loses an eye after being hit by a non-lethal projectile during a protest in Los Angeles
