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Miami, June 30 (EFE).- Civil rights and immigrant advocates demanded on Monday that FIFA guarantee a safe environment free of immigration operations at the 2026 World Cup, following reports of the presence of federal agents at the Club World Cup games, which have frightened fans and left stadiums half-empty.
In a press conference in front of FIFA headquarters in Miami, spokespersons from half a dozen organizations argued that fans are here to see the World Cups and football stars, "not to see Alligator Alcatraz", referring to the migrant detention center built in the Everglades (Florida).
Yareliz Méndez, policy coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), stated that she had a clear demand for FIFA executives: “that there be no presence of ICE.”
In addition, the activist called on the authorities of the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County to stop the collaboration between the local police and immigration authorities through the 287(g) agreements, recently approved, which – in her opinion – "are causing chaos, fear and uncertainty" among the community.
A fear that is affecting attendance at the Club World Cup matches, which began last June 14 and in which the county has invested 46 million dollars, the activists recalled.
"Some tickets have been sold for less than four dollars, and yet the stadiums are empty," denounced Thomas Kennedy, policy director at the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FIC).
Community Justice Project attorney Will Mann emphasized that 287(g) agreements turn local forces into extensions of ICE, which he claimed to be "extremely dangerous for residents who live with daily fear of being detained in any daily activity."
Mann also warned about a negative effect in the future, especially in the 2026 World Cup: "It will be a humanitarian tragedy and an international shame."
In that sense, Paul Christian Namphy, representative of Family Action Network Movement (FANM), demanded FIFA a public guarantee that the rights and dignity of all attendees and workers will be protected, because otherwise the World Cup will be remembered "as a place where chaos reigned."
Activists also targeted the mayor of Miami-Dade County, Democrat Daniella Levine Cava, whom they accused of "failing in her leadership" for remaining silent in the face of migration operations.
"She is part of the games' organizing committee; if she hasn't spoken up, it's her mistake," Méndez affirmed.
The Focus on the Alligators and Not the Players
Activists also pointed out the bad publicity that the immigration policy of President Donald Trump's Administration is generating. And it is that, while the Club World Cup is played in Miami, the country's attention is diverted to the Everglades (Florida), a swamp area west of the city. Organizations denounced the appropriation of land valued at $195 million for the construction of the new immigration detention center, known as 'Alligator Alcatraz', a controversial mega-prison project promoted by Florida Governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, who will be visited tomorrow by President Trump. Activists secured their presence in the Everglades, as a protest during Trump's visit.Finally, the groups made a direct call to FIFA: “Protect your fans. Do not allow ICE to enter the stadiums. If they do, they will lose money, reputation and the very spirit of these games”, sentenced the documentarian Billy Corben, who attended to give his support to the activist organizations. EFE
