For Susana Lahargue, a concessions worker at SoFi Stadium, the choice between a paycheck and a potential run-in with federal immigration agents during FIFA World Cup games this summer is a simple one.
“I’d prefer to lose money and be safe,” said Lahargue.
The build-up to the World Cup has been plagued by concerns that the federal immigration raids that became commonplace across LA over the last year and a half could re-escalate.
Those concerns could be particularly acute for hospitality staff like Lahargue, street vendors and other workers who could be working around World Cup matches and events this summer.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies will be part of security for the games, local and federal officials confirmed, though uncertainty remains on what exactly they’ll be doing.
“We’re getting mixed messages,” said Sergio Jimenez, co-founder of the nonprofit Community Power Collective.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a press conference Monday that he’s been told ICE won’t be focused on immigration enforcement, but he made no guarantees.
“Any of that’s subject to change,” he said. “But I have trust that they’re giving me the appropriate information because if that starts occurring, we’re gonna have a whole new host of problems.”
Rapid response groups and immigration attorneys say they are gearing up for a potential new round of detentions despite recent statements from local leaders. Immigration advocates have spent the build-up to the tournament planning new community patrols, hosting know-your-rights workshops and organizing resources in case of detentions
Lahargue’s union, Unite Here Local 11, has threatened a strike, in part due to immigration enforcement concerns, and plans to vote whether to authorize it at the end of the week.
Ron Gochez, an organizer with community patrol group Unión del Barrio, said he’s skeptical federal immigration agents will target people attending matches — “The cameras of the world are going to be here. It would be a really awful look.” — but said people working around the venues could be at risk.
“We have to prepare for the worst,” he said.
Here’s what local and federal officials have said
Sheriff Luna’s remarks on Monday echoed earlier statements from LA Mayor Karen Bass and Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who each said they’d been told ICE would be present, but focused on issues outside of civil immigration enforcement.
Homeland Security officials, though, haven’t said much about how much immigration enforcement they plan.
“ICE and Homeland Security Investigations are going to be out there everyday,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a video on X last month, adding that agents will be focused on combatting counterfeit merchandise and human trafficking during the tournament.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The LA Local in a statement the agency’s mission is to ensure every fan — American and visitor alike — has a safe experience.
But the spokesperson would not say if the agency plans to pause immigration raids.
“International visitors who legally come to the United States for the World Cup 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,” the spokesperson’s statement read.
Immigration advocates told The LA Local they remain skeptical.
“I don’t think we can trust that the administration is only going to be focused on the safety of players and attendees,” said Ritu Mahajan, an attorney for nonprofit firm Public Counsel. “There’s a real risk that people will be detained and deported.”
Here’s what immigration advocates are doing to prepare for the World Cup
Ever since immigration raids spiked in LA last summer, street vendors have had to shift the way they operate, adapting the amount of food they produce and the hours they sell, said Jimenez with Community Power Collective.
The World Cup is an opportunity for some to boost sales, he said, but carries extra risk with federal agents targeting counterfeit merchandise.
“We know some folks understand the ramifications of going out with all these threats,” Jimenez said. “Y’know, rent is still due.”
Gochez, with Unión del Barrio, said the group plans to patrol around SoFi Stadium on match days, as well as around watch party events.
Public Counsel, Mahajan’s firm, is helping train sidewalk vendors and shop owners on FIFA’s detailed intellectual property rules. Mahajan said there’s a possibility federal agents approach vendors during the tournament.
“Some of them are not aware of the rules,” Mahajan said. “They buy stuff from swap meets, buy stuff from other people. They don’t always have proof of where it came from.”
Jimenez said he wants FIFA and local governments to create a pathway for vendors to legally sell merchandise they’ve designed and paid to manufacture.
“A lot of the vendors are really smart, inventive,” said Jimenez, calling back to some of the gear he has seen on sale outside LAFC matches. “It’s unfair for them to have it taken away because somebody owns the name of something.”
Jimenez said the Community Power Collective’s street vendor network is relying on resources from well-drilled rapid response community groups in the event a vendor is detained by federal agents.
“There’s already a process for us to follow,” he said. “It is working.”
