World Cup Workers Threaten Strike Over ICE Presence

Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles say they are prepared to strike if federal immigration agents are deployed at the venue during the FIFA World Cup.

UNITE HERE Local 11, the labour union representing about 2,000 hospitality workers, demanded on Monday that federal officials guarantee Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not be used at the stadium during the tournament.

The venue, renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the World Cup, is set to host eight matches, including the United States’ opening game on June 12.

For workers, the issue is not just security logistics. It is whether the tournament will become another stage for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“ICE should have no role in these games,” said Isaac Martinez, a stadium cook, during a protest outside the venue.

“We do not want to live in fear coming to work, or fear being detained going home.”

“If we do not reach an agreement, my colleagues and I are ready to strike,” Martinez added.

The workforce is largely made up of food and beverage concession staff, the people who keep the stadium running while the spectacle unfolds on the field. Their warning puts a labour and immigration fight directly in the path of one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

ICE has been central to Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign. Human rights groups have criticised the agency’s conduct during raids in several US cities, including Los Angeles last year. In early 2026, ICE agents fatally shot two American protesters in Minneapolis.

Workers also raised concerns about FIFA’s accreditation process, which requires employees to submit personal data before the tournament. The World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“We ask FIFA not to share our information with ICE agencies, foreign countries, or intelligence services,” worker Yolanda Fierro said.

The protest drew supporters carrying plastic balls and signs reading “Kick ICE Out of the World Cup”. Among those backing the workers was Tom Steyer, a Democratic candidate in California’s gubernatorial race.

ICE’s mandate is border control, Steyer said.

“Can anyone explain what that has to do with the World Cup? Nothing,” Steyer said.

“How is it possible that this is the agency that is going to be here when we know in fact they’re an absolute threat, a lawless threat, to workers in California?”

The dispute adds another layer of tension to preparations for the tournament. The World Cup is being sold as a celebration of global sport, but in Los Angeles, the workers behind the event are making clear that immigration enforcement could turn the atmosphere into something very different.