International reporters question White House over safety, ICE as World Cup nears
As Kansas City is preparing to be one of 11 U.S. host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, safety and security will be as paramount as ever at any mega-event.
But the emergence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as an anti-constitutional and ongoing threat to the rule of law in the United States has made for an unprecedented dynamic at play as potential World Cup visitors must assess a new level of risk to attend.
(Which is saying something given that the last two were held where human rights issues are rife: Russia and Qatar.)
In researching a column on the topic last week, I encountered something I hadn’t caught on to earlier about how that concern was mounting internationally well before ICE’s shocking recent actions — particularly in Minneapolis.
When the U.S. government condones, even endorses, such acts and defends them even when contradicted by overwhelming video evidence, it only adds to the question of how prospective foreign visitors feel about their own vulnerability visiting here in the next few months.
As it happens, ICE has generated a simmering international distress signal long before these recent extremes, some of which was covered in that column but also highlighted here:
Perhaps overshadowed nationally by the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., in December, was a revealing news conference two days before with World Cup White House Task Force executive director Andrew Giuliani.
At the Washington Foreign Press Center, per transcript, virtually every question from journalists around the world was about safety.
Many, though, were about safety from U.S. forces.
A reporter from the Netherlands, whose national team will play in Kansas City, asked if people will be welcome regardless of their beliefs, race and color of their skin. Or should they fear they might not get in or be deported upon arrival?
A reporter from Turkey sought reassurance over concerns raised by human rights groups about the safety of non-citizens.
A journalist from a Colombian TV news station wanted to know if ICE could be deployed at or in stadiums.
The question later was echoed by Sky News Australia as it asked: “Will the Trump Administration rule out any ICE raids at any of these matches?”
Like most of his other responses, Giuliani did not answer specifically.
“We’re having continuous conversation with this,” Giuliani said to the latter. “The one thing — and I’ve known the president for 25 years — the president does not rule out anything that will help make American citizens safer.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM.