Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents will be positioned throughout stadiums hosting the FIFA Club World Cup this coming weekend, NBC News 6 out of Miami first reported.
"Let the games begin! The first FIFA Club World Cup games start on June 14th in Miami –CBP will be suited and booted and ready to provide security for the first round of games," the CBP wrote in a since deleted post earlier this week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will also be deployed throughout the venues.
The FIFA Club World Cup is a 32-team tournament that pulls the highest performing clubs from their respective continental championship leagues. The games will run from June 15 through late July and are slated to begin this Saturday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens when Inter Miami plays Al Ahly, a team from Egypt.
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the FIFA Club World Cup 26TM is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the Super Bowl. Our mission remains unchanged," a CBP spokesperson told the Athletic on Wednesday.
Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition told the outlet the language used by the CBP in its original post was meant to agitate fans. "The messaging that CBP is using is a bit cryptic, it's sort of alluding that people should have their paperwork in order to attend the games," he said. "It creates an environment where people are less likely to come watch the games because of just sheer intimidation."
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was asked if he had any concerns about federal agents having such a presence at the games. "No, I don't have any concerns about anything in the sense that we are very attentive on any security question, of course the most important for us is to guarantee security for all the fans who come to the games, this is our priority," he said.
Security involving next summer's World Cup has already come into question as protests continue to plague southern California stemming from the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. The tournament will be played in stadiums throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico with Los Angeles being one of the 11 American cities to host matches.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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