United States ‘facing human rights emergency’ ahead of World Cup says Amnesty International | OneFootball

Amnesty International says the United States is “facing a human rights emergency” in a new report on the 2026 World Cup, describing the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as posing a “chilling threat” to fans and even “players themselves”. The human rights organisation also warn that severe restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful protest across all three hosts threaten the “safe, welcoming and inclusive” tournament promised by Fifa.

The report - titled “Humanity Must Win: Defending rights, tackling repression at the 2026 FIFA World Cup” - follows on from similar work on previous tournaments and mostly focuses on Donald Trump’s United States and particularly anti-immigration policies, especially given the majority of the tournament is being held there. There is nevertheless also coverage on the repression of protests in both Mexico and Canada, and other issues.

Amnesty point to how the “human rights emergency” is marked by “discriminatory immigration policies, mass detentions and arbitrary arrests by masked, armed agents from ICE. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other agencies”.

Aside from the difficulty some fans may have in getting into the US to support their teams, the report argues that immigrant communities face risks when travelling to or gathering for games.

Only four of the 16 host cities have so far published human rights plans, and none have yet said anything about protection from immigration enforcement, with Amnesty pointing to how Dallas, Houston and Miami have all signed “problematic agreements for local law enforcement agencies to collaborate with ICE”.

Fans of Cote d’Ivoire, Haiti, Iran and Senegal will meanwhile be unable to travel and enter the US unless they had valid visas before 1 January 2026, due to travel bans under the Trump administration. Amnesty add that other fans face “intrusive surveillance, with proposals to force visitors to make their social media accounts available for vetting and screening for ‘anti-Americanism’.

“Despite the astounding numbers of arrests and deportations, neither FIFA nor the US authorities have provided any guarantees that fans and local communities will be safe from ethnic and racial profiling, indiscriminate raids, or unlawful detention and deportation,” said Amnesty International's Head of Economic and Social Justice, Steve Cockburn. He also references how the US government has deported more than 500,000 from the country in 2025 – “more than six times as many people than will watch the World Cup final in the MetLife Stadium”.

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Amnesty International are concerned about arrests by ICE agents as well as restrictions on peaceful assembly in the United States (AFP via Getty Images)

“The record-breaking surge of unlawful arrests and deportations has only been possible because of the erosion of due process safeguards, undermining the rights to liberty and security of hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees. These policies have torn communities apart and created a climate of fear throughout the USA. It’s a deeply troubling time in the US, which will certainly extend to fans who want to take part in World Cup celebrations.”

Mexico has meanwhile mobilised 100,000 security personnel, including the military, in response to high levels of violence, which Amnesty feel raises risks for people protesting. These include women activists who are planning a peaceful protest for the opening match at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, seeking truth, justice and remedy for the disappearance of loved ones. In Canada, the impact of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and a growing housing crisis have raised fears that people experiencing homelessness will again be displaced and pushed further to the margins. On 15 March, authorities in Toronto closed a winter warming centre providing shelter for people experiencing homelessness, as the venue had been pre-booked for use by Fifa.

Since World Cups are often the focus of protests - especially amid so much unrest over the ongoing conflict in the Gulf and Israel-Palestine - Amnesty say there are also risks that demonstrations could be repressed given that all three host countries have seen “restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”.

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Anmesty International believe urgent action is required across all three host nations if Fifa is to deliver a World Cup where everyone “feels safe, included, and free to exercise their rights” (AFP via Getty Images)

The report points to the Trump administration targeting foreign-born students protesting Israeli actions in Gaza, while US citizens “protesting and monitoring aggressive immigration enforcement actions have been killed by federal agents”.

Canada has meanwhile seen demonstrations about Gaza “unduly dispersed or cleared by the police”.

Mexico has also experienced a series of World Cup-related protests by residents angry about the disruptions to water supplies, access to land, rising costs and gentrification linked to infrastructure development in host cities. Amnesty fear the “militarised nature of Mexico’s security mobilisation for the tournament brings risks that further protests could be repressed.

The body ultimately say “urgent action” is required to actually fulfil Fifa’s commitment to a tournament where everyone “feels safe, included, and free to exercise their rights”.