Border Agents at Miami’s Club World Cup? FIFA Fans Are Worried

As the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) prepares for the opening games of its Club World Cup, thousands of soccer fans from across the globe will converge on host cities throughout the United States, including Miami.

The tournament, which pits the top soccer clubs from each continent against one another, will no doubt draw massive interest from South Florida's immigrant communities, especially with famous South and Central American teams like Club Atlético Boca Juniors from Argentina, Fluminense Football Club out of Brazil, and the Club de Fútbol Monterrey Rayados, A.C. of Mexico.

But a Thursday U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) social media post has fans worried that Miami's games, which begin June 15 at Hard Rock Stadium, will be a hotspot for immigration arrests under President Donald Trump's far-reaching deportation efforts.

The post begins light-hearted enough, with "Let the games begin" and a soccer ball emoji.

And, as if federal border agents at a sporting event likely to attract thousands of immigrants wasn't a scary enough proposition, CBP's follow-up line appears "unwelcoming" at best, as one commenter put it.

"CBP will be suited and booted, ready to provide security for the first round of games," the Facebook announcement reads. A CBP spokesperson declined to answer questions by phone but told New Times on Friday that he would provide written responses by the end of the day.

Though CBP has provided security at past sporting events, including this year's National College Football Championship and Super Bowl, fans seem unsettled by their upcoming presence at the Club World Cup games.

"Do I need to bring my passport to the game?" one commenter wrote.

"Security?? No, I doubt that," another said. "I still panic whenever a siren sounds outside my home, as my wife is an immigrant, even though she has legal status. What a mess!"

"Just like you did at the Copa América final, right?" one person wrote.

The comment appeared to reference the chaos at Hard Rock Stadium during the sold-out Copa América final in July 2024, when officials delayed kickoff for more than an hour after thousands of ticketless fans stormed the gates at the Argentina vs. Colombia match.
Although it's unclear why CBP is helping with security enforcement at the upcoming matches, fútbol fans may relate to one commenter's simple advice: "To my fellow soccer fans: If your immigration status is no bueno, stay home."