The U.S., along with Mexico and Canada, will jointly host the World Cup games beginning today, June 11.
But already, the country's increasingly draconian immigration policies are getting in the way.Sign the petition to demand that all 11 U.S. cities that are hosting World Cup events protect visitors, tourists, professionals, and residents against ICE escalations!For example - at the very last minute, the U.S. barred
a World Cup referee from entering the country, turning him away when he landed in Miami. He was scheduled to begin professionally overseeing games within the next few days, but now he won't be able to even attend them.
A player from Switzerland had been approved for a travel visa to the U.S. Then, just three hours before his flight out, authorities informed him he was no longer approved, and would need to submit to additional checks. Luckily, his visa was approved again two days later - but that was not guaranteed.
The referee, Omar Artan, is from Somalia - a country that Trump has said "stinks," and whose people he has referred to as "garbage." The Swiss player, Breel Embolo, is Black.
There appears to be a theme emerging here. That theme is, pretty obviously, racism. So it's not surprising that
Trump's 'border czar' Tom Homan is also threatening to have an increased ICE presence in some areas of the U.S. where World Cup games will be held.
In particular, in New York City, Holman
has threatened to send
"more ICE agents than you've ever seen" to descend on the city. This is occurring as millions of visitors are expected to travel to the U.S. for the games - many of whom will travel through New York's massive international airports en route to other locations, or to attend one the games at the MetLife New York / New Jersey stadium.
Now,
even law enforcement officials in the U.S. are warning that ICE's recruitment posts on social media are dangerously coded as white-supremacist. This warning specifically comes from a "fusion center," which is a network connecting local, state, and federal police departments. According to a police bulletin, law enforcement officials are concerned that ICE is intentionally adopting traditional white supremacist slogans and images for their own recruitment ads. Police also noticed that ICE's use of these memes has coincided with a surge in neo-Nazi support for the agency. The bulletin states: "During the timeframe that these posts from DHS have circulated online, w
hite supremacist violent extremist groups have been simultaneously advocating for their followers to join ICE and/or musing about the potential for ICE to turn into a white supremacist militia."
This is a deeply vulnerable time for so many people to be traveling to the U.S. from around the entire world. Upwards of 120 organizations are officially warning tourists that they may experience 'serious rights violations' if they travel or attempt to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup.
That's why U.S. cities have to step up. World Cup games are set to occur in 11 different locations around the country, specifically in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Miami.
Local leaders in these cities must commit to protecting against ICE. They have the ability to do that, so they need to use it! Sign the petition to keep everyone safe!