Rodney Barreto, co-chair of the Miami host committee, said on April 17 that he had received an assurance from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not appear at the 2026 World Cup matches in Miami this summer.
"ICE will not be at the stadium," Barreto told The Athletic. "This will not become a 'round-up' campaign. That's not the purpose of this event."
Barreto added: "I spoke with Marco, and first of all, he will ensure that passports are processed and that people can come here in an orderly, unimpeded process. This will be a big effort by the federal government. We feel very reassured that everything will be under control."
ICE deployment for immigration enforcement sweeps has increased since President Donald Trump began his second term last year, sparking significant political debate in the United States.
South Florida's role as a World Cup host city also comes amid scenes from the 2024 Copa America final, when fans breached gates at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, causing injuries and delaying the match between Argentina and Colombia.
"(The Miami World Cup organizing committee) has taken the position that we don't want to criticize those who planned that event," Barreto said. "That was not our event. But now I can say that the main weakness was the lack of security fencing. People without tickets should not have been allowed near the stadium entrances. It didn't take much effort to breach a gate. But you learn from all these events, and you learn to do better, to have different scenarios to mitigate this from happening in the future. That's what we're doing."
