Luna says ICE unlikely at Los Angeles World Cup games

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna sought to draw a hard line between World Cup security and immigration enforcement, saying federal officials told him Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not expected at matches or related events in Los Angeles. The assurance landed as the city prepared for eight games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and tried to quiet rumors that ICE might appear at stadiums or fan gatherings.

Luna said he personally called the head of Homeland Security for the Los Angeles region and was told federal agents would still be involved, but in venue security rather than civil immigration enforcement. His message was aimed at fans, visitors and community groups in a region with a large immigrant population, where fears about enforcement can shape whether people show up, cooperate with security and view the tournament as welcoming.

The Los Angeles schedule runs through a packed summer of global soccer: the first local match is set for June 12, when the United States faces Paraguay, followed by games on June 15, June 18, June 21, June 25, June 28, July 2 and July 10. Kathryn Schloessman, chief executive of the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee, previously said ICE agents were not part of the security plans at SoFi Stadium.

Officials described the security effort as one of the largest in Los Angeles history and a rehearsal of sorts for the 2028 Olympics. The operation brings together the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Inglewood Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service, with attention not only on counterterrorism and crowd control but also counterfeit tickets and merchandise, drunk driving, fights, human trafficking and drone threats.

Drone restrictions will be enforced above and around World Cup venues, and authorities warned violations could bring fines of up to $100,000 and confiscation of equipment. That kind of perimeter control is central to the larger question facing local officials: whether residents in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods will trust that stadium grounds and nearby fan zones are being managed for safety, not swept into wider immigration operations.

The federal government is framing the tournament as both a security challenge and a travel-management test. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to facilitate secure movement for athletes, officials, fans and visitors while upholding public safety. CBP said the United States is expected to host 78 of the tournament’s 104 matches and more than five million visitors, and reported more than 5.9 million ESTA applications and 1.6 million Trusted Traveler Program applications between Oct. 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. For Los Angeles, the task is as much about trust as turnout: convincing the public that the World Cup will be watched closely, but not policed in ways that keep people away.