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Officials lay out ICE's role at Los Angeles World Cup plans, announce boosted security for Iran games
By Ryan Morik
Published June 03, 2026
Members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be staffed in Los Angeles during the World Cup but will not be actively detaining foreign travelers, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said this week.
ICE's presence at World Cup games has been an ongoing discussion, especially in Los Angeles, to the point that SoFi Stadium union workers issued a complaint to the attorney general of California, stating that they could be at risk of being targeted by ICE due to FIFA's accreditation process.
However, Luna said at a news conference that he was told by the head of Homeland Security for the Los Angeles region that "civil immigration enforcement...would not be occurring at any of the games."
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SoFi Stadium workers protest outside the FIFA World Cup 26 Los Angeles office calling for ICE to be banned from the World Cup on May 1, 2026. Eight World Cup matches are planned for SoFi Stadium during the summer tournament. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
"There will be federal agents ... because it's going to take all of us to make sure that all the venues, the scoped and unscoped events, are secure," Luna said, via Reuters. "But in regard to civil immigration enforcement, they told us that specifically would not be occurring at any of the games.
"Any of that is subject to change, but I have trust that they're giving me the appropriate information because if that starts occurring, we're going to have a whole new host of problems," he added.
SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is one of 16 stadiums selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including 11 in the U.S. (Getty Images)
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ICE acting director Todd Lyons has said that it would play a "key part" in ensuring security during the tournament, something Luna confirmed.
Luna also said that "additional staffing" would be provided for Iran's two games at SoFi Stadium amid the war overseas.
"Iran does bring a different dynamic because of the current world events," Luna said.
Iran's first game is June 15 against New Zealand -- it will also play Belgium in L.A. six days later before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26 to close out group play.
Iran team players pose for a team photo before the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Asian Qualifiers Group A third round match against Qatar at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on June 5, 2025. (Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto)
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Eight games will be played at SoFi Stadium, including the U.S. opener against Paraguay on June 12, which can be watched on FOX at 9 p.m. ET.
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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/officials-lay-ices-role-los-angeles-world-cup-plans-announce-boosted-security-iran-games