We don't think anyone is safe when ICE is nearby.
In the weeks before the World Cup arrives at SoFi Stadium, a quieter contest is unfolding — one not between nations, but between the dignity of labor and the reach of enforcement. Some 2,000 hospitality workers, many of them immigrants who have served at the stadium's grandest events, now find themselves weighing whether to show up at all. Their union has drawn a clear line: if federal immigration agents remain part of the tournament's security apparatus, the workers will strike — a reminder that the world's most watched sporting event cannot be separated from the political conditions of the country that hosts it.
- A cook who has worked every major SoFi event for four years now fears coming to work — not because of the job, but because of who else might be in the building.
- Unite Here Local 11 has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the stadium's operators and FIFA itself, framing ICE's potential presence as an occupational safety threat for 2,000 workers without contracts.
- The acting ICE director's declaration that the agency will play a 'key role' in World Cup security has triggered a travel warning from Amnesty International, raising alarms for international fans from dozens of countries.
- Workers and more than 100 human rights groups are demanding FIFA ask the Trump administration for a moratorium on immigration enforcement at all World Cup venues for the tournament's 38-day duration.
- The union's ultimatum is now a countdown: without a commitment to keep ICE out of the stadium, a strike before the World Cup begins remains a live possibility.
Isaac Martínez has cooked at SoFi Stadium through Super Bowls, Taylor Swift concerts, and championship games — four years without a second thought about walking through the door. That changed when the World Cup was announced. Now, he and thousands of fellow hospitality workers say they will not feel safe if federal immigration agents are stationed at the stadium during the tournament.
Unite Here Local 11, representing roughly 2,000 SoFi workers currently without contracts, has issued a stark warning: strike before the World Cup begins unless ICE is kept away from the eight matches scheduled in Inglewood. The union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board last month, naming Legends Hospitality, stadium owner Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, and FIFA as parties responsible for creating an unsafe work environment by refusing to restrict immigration enforcement on-site.
The tension sharpened when acting ICE director Todd Lyons announced the agency would play a 'key role' in tournament security. Amnesty International responded with a formal travel warning, citing aggressive enforcement tactics, arbitrary detentions, invasive searches of phones and social media, and documented incidents of racial discrimination during recent Los Angeles enforcement waves. 'Any match could turn into a disaster,' said Amy Fischer, Amnesty's director of refugee and migrant rights.
On May 1st, union leaders joined religious figures, labor organizers, and the Fair Games Coalition outside FIFA's Los Angeles offices. They are asking FIFA President Gianni Infantino to personally request that the Trump administration impose a moratorium on ICE raids at World Cup venues for the full 38-day tournament. FIFA and Legends Hospitality have not responded publicly.
For Martínez, the fear is grounded in what he has already witnessed. 'Violence is not limited to one group,' he said. 'There have been people killed in Minneapolis, in Chicago, even here in Los Angeles.' The workers' question is no longer abstract — it is whether FIFA will act before the opening whistle blows.
Isaac Martínez has spent four years cooking at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, working everything from NFL games to the Super Bowl, Taylor Swift concerts, and the college football championship. He never worried about showing up to work until now. Next month, when the World Cup arrives at the same stadium, Martínez says he and thousands of other food service and hospitality workers won't feel safe if federal immigration agents are present during the tournament.
He is far from alone in this fear. Unite Here Local 11, the hospitality union representing Martínez and roughly 2,000 other SoFi workers without contracts, has made a stark threat: they will strike before the World Cup begins unless immigration enforcement agents stay away from the stadium. Last month, the union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing Legends Hospitality (which runs premium food and beverage operations at SoFi), Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (the stadium's owner), and FIFA itself of creating an unsafe work environment by refusing to restrict ICE presence during the eight World Cup matches scheduled for Inglewood.
The anxiety runs deeper than labor disputes. Kurt Petersen, co-chair of Local 11, pointed to a pattern of escalating aggression. "The ICE has become increasingly uncontrollable and violent," he said, referencing violent enforcement actions in Minnesota and elsewhere. "We don't think anyone is safe when ICE is nearby." The union's concerns extend beyond workers to the international visitors who will attend the matches—fans traveling from Iran, Europe, and elsewhere who could face arbitrary detention or invasive searches at borders and in the city.
FIFA declined to comment on the union's complaint. Legends Hospitality did not respond to requests for comment. But the stakes became clearer when Todd Lyons, the acting ICE director, stated that his agency would play a "key role" in tournament security. That vague declaration alarmed not just workers but human rights organizations. Amnesty International issued a travel warning for the World Cup, cautioning visitors about aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, arbitrary denials of entry, detention in inhumane conditions, and invasive searches of phones and social media accounts. The organization cited recent waves of immigration enforcement in Los Angeles that have drawn accusations of racial discrimination and violent suppression of protests.
Amy Fischer, Amnesty International's director of refugee and migrant rights, was blunt about the risk. "There is a real danger for people traveling to these matches because of the aggressive immigration control tactics we've seen from this administration," she said. She warned that ICE operates without meaningful oversight, constantly violating the law and human rights. "Any match could turn into a disaster," she added.
On May 1st, the union joined religious leaders, labor organizers, and members of the Fair Games Coalition at a demonstration outside FIFA's Los Angeles offices, demanding that the organization bar ICE from the stadium. Petersen said the union and more than 100 human rights groups have asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request directly from President Trump a moratorium on ICE raids during the 38-day tournament, particularly at World Cup venues. "FIFA could tell the Trump administration: keep ICE out of the matches. We don't need them to run a soccer tournament," Petersen said. "If we don't get that, we're prepared to do everything we can, including striking before the World Cup."
Martínez echoed the workers' position in Spanish, speaking to the broader pattern of violence he has witnessed. "We've seen that violence is not limited to one group. It's widespread. There have been people killed in Minneapolis, in Chicago, even here in Los Angeles. We've seen everything that's happened with ICE, and that's where all our fear comes from." For workers like him, the question is no longer whether ICE will be present, but whether FIFA will act to keep them away.
Citas Notables
The ICE has become increasingly uncontrollable and violent. We don't think anyone is safe when ICE is nearby.— Kurt Petersen, co-chair of Unite Here Local 11
There is a real danger for people traveling to these matches because of the aggressive immigration control tactics we've seen from this administration.— Amy Fischer, Amnesty International director of refugee and migrant rights
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does ICE's presence at a sporting event matter so much to these workers? Aren't they just there for security?
The workers aren't worried about abstract security. They're worried about being detained while they're trying to do their jobs. ICE has been conducting aggressive raids in Los Angeles, and there's no guarantee that immigration status won't be checked at the stadium.
But wouldn't FIFA or the stadium operators have some control over that?
That's exactly the point. The union is asking FIFA to explicitly ban ICE from the premises. Right now, ICE says it will have a "key role" in security, but nobody knows what that means. The vagueness is the problem.
What about the international fans? Why would they be at risk?
Amnesty International issued a travel warning because visitors can be detained at the border, have their phones searched, or be denied entry arbitrarily. If you're traveling from Iran or another country the administration views with suspicion, you're vulnerable. And once you're in the city, ICE raids are happening everywhere.
So the strike threat is leverage to get FIFA to act?
Yes. The union is saying: we won't work if you don't guarantee our safety. It's the only leverage they have. FIFA has the power to make a direct request to the Trump administration for a moratorium on raids during the tournament.
Has FIFA responded to any of this?
They've refused to comment. Legends Hospitality, the company that actually runs food service, also hasn't responded. That silence is part of what's driving the escalation.
What happens if the strike actually happens?
The World Cup would have serious operational problems. You can't run a major tournament without food service workers. But more fundamentally, it would expose a contradiction: FIFA is hosting a global event while workers and international visitors face real danger from enforcement they can't control.