![\"SoFi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26121722408280-1779173523.jpg\")
SoFi Stadium workers protest in Los Angeles on May Day [Jae C Hong\/AP]<\/p>\nWorkers represented by a local union say ICE presence would create a climate of fear during the FIFA World Cup 2026.<\/p>\n
Published On 19 May 202619 May 2026<\/p>\n
Workers at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles have decided to go on strike if federal immigration enforcement agents are deployed at the venue when it hosts FIFA World Cup matches in June and July.<\/p>\n
The UNITE HERE Local 11 \u2013 a labour union representing some 2,000 hospitality employees \u2013 on Monday demanded federal guarantees that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would not be used during the matches scheduled at the stadium.<\/p>\n
The venue, which will be known as the Los Angeles Stadium during the tournament, will host eight World Cup games, including the opening fixture for the United States on June 12.<\/p>\n
Workers at the world\u2019s most expensive sports arena say the ICE presence would create a climate of fear for themselves and for fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cICE should have no role in these games,\u201d said Isaac Martinez, a stadium cook, at a protest outside the venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not want to live in fear coming to work, or fear being detained going home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we do not reach an agreement, my colleagues and I are ready to strike,\u201d Martinez added, speaking on behalf of a workforce composed largely of food and beverage concession staff.<\/p>\n
SoFi Stadium workers protest in Los Angeles on May Day [Jae C Hong\/AP]<\/p>\n
ICE has led the charge in President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n
Human rights groups have condemned the agency for its conduct during raids in several US cities, including Los Angeles last year.<\/p>\n
In early 2026, ICE agents fatally shot two American protesters in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n
Workers on Monday also raised alarms over FIFA\u2019s accreditation process, which requires employees to submit personal data before the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19 across the US, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask FIFA not to share our information with ICE agencies, foreign countries, or intelligence services,\u201d worker Yolanda Fierro said.<\/p>\n
Protesters carrying plastic balls and signs reading \u201cKick ICE Out of the World Cup\u201d drew support from Tom Steyer, a Democratic candidate in California\u2019s gubernatorial race.<\/p>\n
ICE\u2019s mandate is border control, the financier-turned-politician said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan anyone explain what that has to do with the World Cup? Nothing,\u201d Steyer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow is it possible that this is the agency that is going to be here when we know in fact they\u2019re an absolute threat, a lawless threat, to workers in California?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Workers represented by a local union say ICE presence would create a climate of fear during the FIFA…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":807002,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,2961,224,5337,50,7237,1926,67,72,28558,21490,105860],"class_list":["post-807001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-news","tag-protests","tag-sport","tag-united-states","tag-us-canada","tag-workers-rights","tag-world-cup","tag-world-cup-2026"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116600207403012303","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807001\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}