ICE stadium – A Washington Post/University of Maryland poll released Tuesday found 65% of Americans oppose ICE officers patrolling U.S. stadiums during the World Cup, with support split sharply by party. The results clash with federal officials’ insistence that the presence
On the eve of the World Cup’s kickoff across North America, the idea of ICE officers patrolling stadiums has become a political flashpoint—and a new poll suggests many Americans are not persuaded.
A Washington Post/University of Maryland poll released on Tuesday found that 65% of Americans oppose ICE officers patrolling U.S. stadiums during the tournament. The number is overwhelming among Democratic voters. with 92% opposing the plan. and it remains high among independent voters. where 74% said they oppose it.
Republicans are the exception. In the same poll, 72% of Republican voters said they approve of the idea.
The tournament is set to begin on June 11 across North America. The U.S. Men’s National Team is scheduled to play its first match against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Federal officials have said ICE’s presence at the matches will focus on security. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a social media post last month that the officers will be “fighting against the counterfeit tickets. human trafficking. drug smuggling. counterfeit products. They’re going to be working hand-in-hand with CBP along the way.”.
ICE patrols have been among the most contentious issues leading up to the World Cup, with the public argument turning on whether enforcement at the venues will be seen as protection—or something harsher.
The matches will not be limited to the United States. The tournament’s games will also be held in Mexico and Canada, with the finale at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Within the U.S., the schedule stretches across a wide swath of cities, including Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.
A single question—whether ICE should be inside stadiums—has now produced a clear partisan split in the public mood as the calendar moves toward June 11, with Americans preparing to watch games while debating who will be watching them.
World Cup ICE Markwayne Mullin CBP immigration enforcement SoFi Stadium MetLife Stadium U.S. politics federal security polling