ICE is policing the World Cup. But it’s still not clear what that will mean in KC
As the 2026 World Cup nears and as thousands are expected to file into Kansas City for celebrations held over the next few months, it’s still not publicly clear what federal immigration enforcement will look like in the metro this summer.
The federal government has previously said it’s tapping immigration enforcement officials to offer security during the major worldwide soccer event that’s making its way to Kansas City and 10 other U.S. host cities.
And although the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement isn’t planning to “round up” people during the World Cup, it’s likely some people who aren’t U.S. citizens will be arrested, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently told CBS News.
At a time when immigration enforcement in the Kansas City metro and across the country has ramped up under President Donald Trump’s second term, area advocates have said they’re worried that vulnerable people — like immigrants, international visitors and people who are LGBTQ+ — are going to be targeted during the event.
Despite local concerns, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security hasn’t specified where people should expect to see ICE in the Kansas City metro during the World Cup. It also didn’t say whether to expect an increased presence of immigration law enforcement officers or what that would look like.
ICE’s public affairs office told The Star in an emailed statement that DHS will partner with local and federal agencies to “secure the 2026 FIFA World Cup — in line with federal law and the U.S. Constitution.”
The agency said international visitors who come into the country legally, and who have their travel plans and documentation organized ahead of arriving in the U.S. have nothing to worry about.
“What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether or not they are illegally in the U.S. — full stop,” according to ICE’s statement. “Speculation to the contrary is ill-informed.”
ICE, local police didn’t respond to questions
ICE did not respond to a litany of questions from The Star pertaining to what immigration enforcement officers will be specifically assigned to do. The agency also did not respond to questions seeking how many federal officers will be in the metro during the World Cup; what parts of the metro should expect to see an increase in immigration enforcement officers; or whether that will result in an increase of arrests of immigrants.
Locally, people have known to expect an uptick in law enforcement officers policing the metro during the World Cup, which will hold games at Arrowhead Stadium from June 16-July 11. Kansas City last year said it would double its local police operations during the event.
It’s not clear, though, what federal policing during the World Cup will look like in Wyandotte County, a widely diverse area with at least 18% of its residents having been born in another country. The Kansas City Kansas Police Department, as of publication time, did not say whether it had received any sort of information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about what policing will look like during the World Cup.
The department also did not respond to a question asking whether it knows if ICE and Border Patrol agents will be patrolling in the community.
The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office referred questions about collaborative law enforcement activities during the World Cup to KCKPD. A spokesperson with the office said that the police department is leading conversations on inter-agency operations, and what that will look like at the local level, during the event.
