This plan fails to protect those most at risk
Activist groups like Fair Game Coalition oppose DHS involvement in Olympic security, citing recent violent immigration raids that arrested migrant workers. LA28's Human Rights Strategy designates the Games a 'National Special Security Event,' giving DHS significant operational control and resources.
- LA28 designated as 'National Special Security Event,' giving DHS operational control
- Recent immigration raids in Los Angeles arrested scores of migrant workers
- Fair Game Coalition and Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative oppose the safety plan
- LA28 chair Casey Wasserman's name appeared in Epstein-related documents
Left-wing activists criticize LA28's Olympic security plan for over-relying on police and DHS, citing concerns about immigrant communities following recent immigration raids.
Los Angeles is less than two years away from hosting the Olympic Games, and the organizing committee has released its plan for keeping the event safe. The strategy leans heavily on federal law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security—a choice that has triggered sharp pushback from activist groups who see it as a threat to immigrant communities already reeling from recent raids.
The LA28 organizing committee published its Human Rights Strategy last month, a document meant to outline how the Games will protect vulnerable populations during the event. But when activists from organizations like the Fair Game Coalition and the Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative reviewed the plan, they found something troubling: the strategy repeatedly emphasized DHS involvement and positioned federal agencies as central to security operations. Because the Olympics have been designated a "National Special Security Event," the federal government—through DHS and other agencies—will coordinate operational security and contingency planning across the Games, their venues, and surrounding communities.
Martin Barrera, speaking for the Fair Game Coalition, expressed dismay at the arrangement. The DHS, he pointed out, had recently conducted immigration raids across the city that arrested scores of migrant workers. For communities already fearful of federal enforcement, the prospect of DHS personnel operating throughout Los Angeles during the Games felt less like protection and more like a threat. "This plan fails to protect those most at risk," Barrera said. The activists made their case directly to a Los Angeles City Council committee, arguing that the committee's reliance on police and federal immigration authorities would provoke fear and discord among many residents, particularly those in vulnerable immigrant populations.
The criticism arrives amid broader tension over the composition of LA28's leadership. In recent months, the organizing committee added former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Reince Priebus, who served as chief of staff under President Trump, to its board. Left-leaning political groups had already been pressing LA28 to remove its chair, Casey Wasserman, citing his connections to Trump allies. That pressure intensified after Wasserman's name appeared in documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, including records of a flirtatious exchange with Ghislaine Maxwell, an Epstein associate. Wasserman announced he would sell his talent agency in response to the backlash but has remained in his position at LA28.
The safety plan itself reflects the reality of hosting a major international event in an era of heightened security concerns. Federal agencies have signaled they will provide substantial resources, staff, and technology to support the Games. But for activists representing communities that have experienced immigration enforcement firsthand, the strategy reads as a missed opportunity to build trust and protection through community-based approaches rather than federal police power. As the Games draw closer, the question of who will be kept safe—and from what—remains contested.
Citações Notáveis
This plan fails to protect those most at risk— Martin Barrera, Fair Game Coalition
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would immigrant communities specifically worry about DHS involvement in Olympic security?
Because DHS has been conducting immigration raids in Los Angeles that have arrested migrant workers. For undocumented immigrants or mixed-status families, the presence of federal immigration enforcement during a major public event feels like exposure, not safety.
But doesn't the federal government need to coordinate security for something as large as the Olympics?
Yes, and the organizing committee's strategy acknowledges that. The tension isn't really about whether DHS should be involved—it's about whether there are other ways to provide security that don't rely so heavily on the agency that people fear most.
What does the Fair Game Coalition actually want instead?
The source doesn't spell out their alternative proposal, but the critique suggests they want approaches centered on protecting vulnerable people rather than federal law enforcement. Community-based security, maybe. De-escalation. Trust-building.
Is this criticism just about immigration, or is there something else happening with LA28's leadership?
Both. The board additions of Trump allies like McCarthy and Priebus signaled to progressive groups that the committee wasn't aligned with their values. Then Wasserman's name in the Epstein files added another layer of distrust. The safety plan became a focal point for broader concerns about who's running the Games and whose interests they serve.
Did Wasserman step down?
No. He sold his talent agency to address the Epstein controversy, but he kept his position as chair of LA28. That's part of why activists remain frustrated.