Max Herman/Borderless MagazineAfter an Iraqi soccer player was questioned at O’Hare airport, local organizers are calling on Trump to remove ICE from all FIFA World Cup events.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Chicago advocates called on President Donald Trump to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement away from FIFA World Cup events and to immediately lift travel bans for soccer players.
The call came just days after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents questioned a member of the Iraqi national team at O’Hare airport for seven hours, and the team’s photographer was denied entry to the United States. Meanwhile, the Iranian national team has been placed under travel restrictions, forcing them to remain in Mexico between their matches.
“It is totally unacceptable for a host nation of an international sporting competition to treat people this way,” said Muhammad Sankari, organizing director of the Arab American Action Network. “This is rooted in the racism of this administration, and it is nothing more than an extension of the Arab and African ban that [the Trump administration] put forward just a few months ago.”
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At the press conference, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights announced that it will join the national “No ICE in the Cup” campaign,” which is working to ensure that the World Cup is “joyful, safe and secure for all to enjoy.” Organizers are demanding that there be no ICE presence in stadiums, fan zones or watch parties.
“It comes as no surprise that while we’re witnessing an escalation in ICE violence here locally in Illinois, we’re also witnessing this escalation of immigration and tactics to attack players, to attack fans, to attack affiliated staff that are all here for the World Cup,” said Cinthya Rodriguez, director of movement building at ICIRR.
About three-fourths of the World Cup games will be played in the United States. Teams from Iraq and Venezuela were in Chicago on Tuesday to play an exhibition match in SeatGeek Stadium in suburban Bridgeview.
“These cases reveal a troubling reality,” said Fasika Alem, programs director of the United African Organization. “Athletes and officials who have earned the right to participate in the world’s premier sporting event are being subjected to heightened scrutiny, delays and barriers that threaten the integrity and inclusiveness of the tournament itself.”
If ICE approaches immigrants at World Cup events, the American Civil Liberties Union recommends they stay calm and don’t argue. They have the right to remain silent and do not have to discuss their immigration status with any officials.
Tara Mobasher is Borderless Magazine’s newsletter writer and reporter. Email Tara at [email protected]
