In light of the deteriorating human rights situation in the United States and in the absence of meaningful action and concrete guarantees from FIFA, host cities, or the U.S. government, the undersigned organizations are issuing this travel advisory for fans, players, journalists, and other visitors traveling to and within the United States for the June 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. World Cup games will be played in 11 different cities across the United States, which, like many localities, have already been the target of the Trump administration’s violent and abusive immigration crackdown. The impacts of these policies vary by locality.
While the Trump administration’s rising authoritarianism and increasing violence pose serious risks to all, those from immigrant communities, racial and ethnic minority groups, and LGBTQ+ individuals have been and continue to be disproportionately targeted and affected by the administration’s policies and, as such, are most vulnerable to serious harm when traveling to and/or within the United States. This travel advisory calls on fans, players, journalists, and other visitors to exercise caution and have an emergency contingency plan when traveling to and within the United States.
WARNING: Individuals may encounter or be subjected to the following risks and harms in breach of the United States’ human rights obligations under domestic and international law:
- Arbitrary denial of entry and risk of arrest, detention and/or deportation of non-U.S. nationals, even those with prior authorization from the U.S. government. A visa or ESTA does not guarantee admission, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have broad discretion to admit, detain, or deny entry at ports of entry. For transgender and nonbinary persons traveling to the United States, recent memoranda and federal regulations suggest that travelers must apply for visas using sex assigned at birth. Failure to do so could risk increased scrutiny or denial of entry to the United States.
- Expanded restrictions and limitations on travel and entry into the United States. As of January 2026, Trump administration has fully restricted and limited the entry of nationals from 19 countries: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Full restrictions and limitations also extend to individuals with identification documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. Partial restrictions exist for nationals from 20 countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, the Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- Invasive social media screening and searches of electronic devices as part of admission to the United States. The Trump administration has instituted social media screenings for certain categories of visa applications, including nonimmigrant work and student visas, requiring individuals to make their accounts public for review by the State Department. The new policy specifically polices for content that the Trump administration has deemed “anti-American” or “antisemitic.” Generally speaking, the Department of Homeland Security claims broad powers to conduct searches of visitors’ electronic devices at ports of entry.
- Violent and unconstitutional immigration enforcement, including racial profiling and other discrimination by law enforcement. In the last year, the Trump administration has deployed federal immigration agents to cities across the country, with large militarized federal forces deployed in Los Angeles, California; Portland, Oregon; Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Illinois; Charlotte, North Carolina; and, most recently, the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota, sowing uncertainty, fear, and trauma across communities. In Minnesota, for example, masked and armed federal agents have engaged in widespread unlawful stops and arrests based on race, ethnicity, and national origin, targeting Somali and Latino individuals and those perceived to be, without any relevant information about the individuals’ citizenship or immigration status. In many places across the country, local and state law enforcement agencies have been deputized to engage in civil immigration enforcement through 287(g) agreements which allow ICE to delegate certain immigration enforcement duties to state and local law enforcement agencies. As of the end of March, the Trump administration has also deployed ICE agents to airports across the United States.
- Suppression of speech and protest and increased surveillance. Law enforcement officers have intimidated, harassed, and used force against protesters in retaliation for their protected speech activity, including against protesters observing unlawful immigration enforcement. Most recently, violence at the hands of law enforcement escalated when federal officers used lethal force and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota. Other cases involve the following victims: Ruben Ray Martinez, Keith Porter, and Silverio Villegas González. Journalists have been arrested for their reporting on protests. Additionally, as highlighted by over 90 civil society organizations in a July 2025 letter to FIFA, individuals who express political opinions that diverge from those of the current administration, including activism in support of Palestinian rights, continue to be at risk of arbitrary detention and deportation. Lastly,law enforcement officers have deployed and continue to deploy various surveillance strategies, including drones, facial recognition software, and phone surveillance, as part of their policing of protests.
- Serious risk of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and in some cases, death, while in immigration detention facilities or custody. Recent data, as of the beginning of February 2026, indicates that 68,289 people are currently being held in ICE detention. Since the start of 2026, 17 people have died in ICE custody. In 2025, 32 people died in ICE custody. Those being held in ICE detention have reported limited and/or inadequate access to legal services and essential medical care.
As such, the undersigned organizations recommend that travelers to and within the U.S.:
- Consult resources from the American Civil Liberties Union (“Immigrants’ Rights”), National Immigration Law Center (“Immigration Arrests at Airports”), Amnesty USA (“How to Stay Safe Around ICE”), or other “Know Your Rights” resources for information about constitutional rights and protections when interacting with law enforcement.
- Secure your electronic devices, for example removing sensitive information from your phone and turning off facial recognition or fingerprint passwords.
- Alert family, friends, and/or trusted colleagues of plans to travel to and within the United States, including dates and destinations.
- Download Human Rights First’s ReadyNow! mobile app to notify trusted contacts in case of possible detention.
- Journalists reporting on the World Cup can consult resources from the Committee to Protect Journalists or Reporters Without Borders for information on how to keep themselves safe while entering the U.S. and while reporting inside the country. Journalists can also text CPJ’s journalist safety chatbot to access detailed safety information (text “hello” to +1-206-590-6191).
Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation
ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York
American Civil Liberties Union
American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee, Florida
Amnesty International USA
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Arizona Justice Alliance
Asian Americans Advancing Justice–Atlanta
Bilbao Law
Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Victims of Torture
Central American Resource Center Houston
Central Florida Jobs with Justice
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
Committee to Project Journalists
Community Labor United
Community United Methodist Church
Council for Global Equality
Cross Border Network for Justice and Solidarity
cylindr
Decarcerate KC
Democratic Socialists of America, Kansas City
Desiree Alliance
Dream Action Oklahoma
El Movimiento DFW
Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM)
Fe y Justicia Worker Center
First United
Florida Immigrant Coalition
Florida Immigration Law and Justice Center, Inc.
Florida Rising
Four Freedoms Forum
Georgia Voices United
Haitian Bridge Alliance
Hands Off NYC
Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights
Hispanics For Florida
Human Rights Cities Alliance
Human Rights First
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef)
International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination (ICAAD)
International Human Rights Clinic at Santa Clara Law
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Jobs with Justice Education Fund
Joyful Resistance South Florida
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
Latino Community Fund Georgia
Latin America Working Group
Legal Defense Fund
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)
Loyola Law School, Immigrant Justice Clinic
Make the Road New Jersey
Malcolm X Center for Self Determination
Met Council on Housing
Mijente Support Committee
NAACP
NAACP Florida State Conference
National Birth Equity Collaborative
National Homelessness Law Center
National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
National Immigration Project (NIP)
National Lawyers Guild
Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts
New Disabled South
New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice
New York Communities for Change
NO ICE Philly
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Olubunmi Law, PLLC
Organized Power in Numbers
Pedro Arrupe Jesuit Institute
Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance
PowerSwitch Action
Public Counsel
Play Fair ATL
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Reproductive Justice Action Collective (ReJAC)
Revolución Educativa
Reyes Legal, PLLC
Safe Space Fort Smith
Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network
Sharma-Crawford Attorneys at Law
Southern Border Communities Coalition
Southern Poverty Law Center
Tallahassee Community Area Response Equipo (TCARE)
Tenants and Neighbors
Texas Young Active Labor Leaders
The Advocates for Human Rights
The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice
The Assembly
The George Washington University Law Immigration Clinic
Tr&ns
United Methodist Church of West Palm Beach
University Network for Human Rights
Vecinos Unidos DFW
VOCAL–NY
We Are CASA
Women on the Rise, Georgia
Women’s All Points Bulletin
Workers Defense Action Fund
Working Washington
Supporters groups
Independent Supporters Council North America
All Stripes (Atlanta)
Brickyard Battalion (Indianapolis)
Bridge Brigade Supporters Group (San Francisco Bay Area)
Bucket Hat Brigade (Minnesota)
Cloud 9 Supporters Club (New Jersey/New York)
Dallas Beer Guardians (Dallas)
Dark Clouds (Minnesota)
Doopin Delinquents (Philadelphia)
Footie Mob (Atlanta)
Galactic Ambassadors (New Mexico)
Generation: CITY (St. Louis)
Resurgence Supporters Group (Atlanta)
Riptides (San Diego)
Rogue Cavaliers Brigade (Salt Lake City)
Sons of Ben (Philadelphia)
Steel Magnolias (Atlanta)
The Railbirds (Lexington)
Timbers Army (Portland)
Tulsa Lunatics (Tulsa)
Undertow KC (Kansas City)
Download the 2026 World Cup Travel Advisory.