Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are being deployed to Miami for FIFA club World Cup games this weekend.
The games kick off on Saturday at the Hard Rock Stadium where Inter Miami will face Al-Ahly Sporting Club from Egypt.
In a now-deleted Facebook post by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency said it would be “suited and booted” for the event.
“Let the games begin! The first FIFA Club World Cup games start on June 14th in Miami… CBP will be suited and booted and ready to provide security for the first round of games.”
The message is causing some confusion as it is unclear whether federal agents are there to provide security, which is normal for a big event, or will they be checking papers and detaining fans at the game.
Asked about their involvement at the games ICE told NBC 6 in South Florida that agents would be there as part of the security team and that all foreign nationals would need to have proof of their legal status, indicating their role is not just to bolster security.
“The messaging that CBP is using is a bit cryptic, it’s sort of alluding that people should have their paperwork in order to attend the games,” Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition told the outlet. “It creates an environment where people are less likely to come watch the games because of just sheer intimidation.”
The club World Cup comes during a time of heightened tensions in the United States as the Trump administration implements its hardline immigration policies, including mass deportations.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino told NBC 6 that he is not concerned about ICE and CBP agents at the games.
“No, I don’t have any concerns about anything in the sense that we are very attentive on any security question, of course the most important for us is to guarantee security for all the fans who come to the games, this is our priority,” he said.
