Amid protests, questions loom about how active ICE will be at Club World Cup games
LAFC and the Galaxy face off in 2023 at the Rose Bowl. FIFA Club World Cup matches will be held at the stadium this weekend. (Alex Gallardo/Los Angeles Times)
The Department of Homeland Security said border patrol agents will provide security for Saturday's FIFA Club World Cup opener between Inter Miami and Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
'Let the games begin,' U.S. Customs and Border Protection wrote in a social media post Tuesday. 'The first FIFA Club World Cup games start on June 14 in Miami, FL at the Hard Rock Stadium. CBP will be suited and booted ready to provide security for the first round of games.'
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The post has since been deleted. But it included a reference to 'the first round of games,' suggesting immigration agents were not limiting their presence to the opening match. The month-long 32-team tournament includes six first-round games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, beginning with Sunday's match between Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Spain's Atlético Madrid.
CPB agents, who operate under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, do not primarily provide security at stadiums the same way local police or private security firms do, but they are often involved in security operations in the lead-up to major events, monitoring airspace or assisting with rapid response to emergencies. ICE officers, which also operate under the DHS umbrella, are primarily tasked with identifying and arresting individuals who violate U.S. immigration law.
Read more: With FIFA World Cup one year away, fans and politicians still aren't sure what to expect
So the possibility that federal immigration officials will be on site at a major international soccer match less than a year before the World Cup returns to the U.S. figures to inflame an already tense situation.
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FIFA said it is collaborating with the Rose Bowl on security issues and the presence of CPB and ICE agents, while not anticipated, could not be ruled out.
'FIFA is working in collaboration with the stadium authorities and relevant government government agencies — be it local, federal and state — to implement a detailed safety and security plan for the stadiums involved in the Club World Cup,' said a FIFA source familiar with the situation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Three other international matches will also be played in Southern California during the next five days in Inglewood and Carson, but officials at both those stadiums said federal agents will not be present.
The CONCACAF Gold Cup will also kick off Saturday with Mexico playing the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium, but officials there said they have not changed their normal security procedures. A Gold Cup doubleheader involving Panama, Guadeloupe, Jamaica and Guatemala will follow at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson on June 16 and a stadium spokesperson said they will also be using their regular protocols, in addition to providing a public protest area on the stadium grounds.
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Read more: Fears of ICE raids upend life in L.A. County, from schools to Home Depot parking lots
The civil unrest in Southern California was sparked by masked ICE officers executing immigration raids across the region. The ensuing protests led the Trump administration to send thousands of national guard troops and hundreds of U.S. Marines into city streets over the objections of L.A. mayor Karen Bass, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other local elected officials.
No one at SoFi Stadium would speak on the record about security preparations for Saturday's CONCACAF Gold Cup opener featuring Mexico, which is expected to draw a crowd of more than 50,000. But one official with knowledge of the situation said the stadium is following 'normal procedures' and 'ICE is not part of those protocols.'
SoFi Stadium's security and crowd management duties have traditionally been handled by local law enforcement authorities and Contemporary Services Corporation, a private security company whose yellow- and blue-clad workers have become ubiquitous at sports and entertainments across the country.
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The Mexican team was originally slated to stay in a downtown hotel ahead of the match in Inglewood, but it moved to Long Beach because of security concerns.
Read more: ICE raids across L.A. spark backlash; Trump officials vow to continue operations
Asked about the presence of ICE agents at Saturday's Club World Cup match at Hard Rock Stadium, where last year's Copa América final was delayed more than an hour by fans rushing the entrances, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he did not see a problem with it despite the fact it figures to depress attendance for a game that was already struggling to sell tickets.
'We are very attentive on any security question,' Infantino said. 'Of course, the most important [thing] for us is to guarantee security for all the fans who come to the games. This is our priority. This is the priority of all the authorities who are here.
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'And we want everyone who comes to the games to pass a good moment."
Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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