Security and hospitality can walk side by side
À medida que os Estados Unidos se preparam para acolher o mundo no Mundial de 2026, a administração Trump deixou claro que a celebração do desporto global não suspenderá a sua política de imigração. Andrew Giuliani, coordenador da Casa Branca para o evento, confirmou que rusgas policiais e detenções de imigrantes permanecem opções abertas durante o torneio, enquanto organizações de direitos humanos alertam que a hospitalidade proclamada pode esconder perigos reais para visitantes vulneráveis. O caso de um requerente de asilo detido durante o Mundial de Clubes — separado dos filhos e deportado para um país onde afirma correr perigo — ilustra a distância entre o discurso oficial e a experiência humana concreta.
- A administração Trump recusou-se a criar qualquer zona de imunidade para visitantes estrangeiros durante o Mundial, subordinando a hospitalidade desportiva às prioridades de segurança nacional.
- Um requerente de asilo que levou os filhos ao jogo foi detido durante três meses e deportado para um país onde afirma que a sua vida corre perigo — um caso que a Human Rights Watch considera emblemático dos riscos que se avizinham.
- Cidadãos do Haiti e do Irão, cujas seleções participam no torneio, enfrentam proibições de entrada nos EUA, com apenas isenções limitadas concedidas a membros das delegações desportivas.
- A Human Rights Watch exige que a FIFA pressione as autoridades americanas a não utilizarem os jogos do Mundial como ocasiões para operações de fiscalização da imigração.
- O torneio, previsto para junho e julho de 2026 e co-organizado pelos EUA, Canadá e México, arrisca transformar-se num palco de tensão entre a promessa de unidade global e a realidade de uma política migratória cada vez mais restritiva.
A administração Trump deixou esta semana uma mensagem inequívoca: o Mundial de Futebol de 2026 não será uma trégua para a sua política de imigração. Andrew Giuliani, responsável pela task force da Casa Branca para o evento, afirmou numa conferência de imprensa em Washington — realizada às vésperas do sorteio da fase de grupos no Kennedy Center — que o presidente não exclui rusgas policiais nem detenções de imigrantes indocumentados durante o torneio. A justificação apresentada foi a segurança nacional, com Giuliani a insistir que hospitalidade e segurança são objetivos compatíveis.
O torneio, agendado de 11 de junho a 19 de julho de 2026 e co-organizado pelos Estados Unidos, Canadá e México, chega num momento em que a política migratória de Trump se tornou uma marca central da sua presidência. Giuliani reconheceu que os tempos de espera consulares foram reduzidos para países como Argentina, Brasil e Equador, e que nações europeias e o Japão beneficiam de isenção de visto. Contudo, cidadãos do Haiti e do Irão — ambos com seleções qualificadas — estão sujeitos a proibições de entrada, com isenções concedidas apenas a alguns membros das delegações desportivas.
A posição da administração já gerou críticas contundentes. A Human Rights Watch divulgou um comunicado de alarme citando um caso concreto: um requerente de asilo que levou os filhos ao jogo da final do Mundial de Clubes, em Nova Jérsia, foi detido pelo ICE, mantido em detenção durante três meses e posteriormente deportado para um país onde afirma correr perigo de vida. Minky Worden, diretora de iniciativas globais da organização, descreveu o caso como revelador dos limites da proteção que a FIFA oferece aos visitantes estrangeiros nos seus eventos.
A Human Rights Watch apelou à FIFA para que pressione as autoridades americanas a não usarem os jogos do Mundial como pretexto para operações de fiscalização migratória. Para milhões de potenciais visitantes — especialmente os provenientes de países sob restrições de viagem ou em situação legal precária — a promessa de boas-vindas soa a vazio perante a realidade de uma fiscalização que, como já se viu, não poupa quem foi apenas ver futebol com os filhos.
The Trump administration made clear this week that it will not suspend immigration enforcement during the 2026 World Cup, even as the tournament prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of international visitors to American soil. Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House task force overseeing the event, stated flatly that the president does not rule out police raids and detentions of undocumented immigrants during the month-long competition. Speaking at a press conference in Washington ahead of Friday's group-stage draw at the Kennedy Center, Giuliani framed the position as a security imperative. "The president Trump does not rule out anything that makes this country safer," he said. "What we will not tolerate are riots that threaten security." He insisted that the World Cup would demonstrate that safety and hospitality are compatible goals.
The tournament, scheduled for June 11 through July 19 next year and jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, arrives at a moment when Trump's hardline immigration policies have become a defining feature of his presidency. The administration has made clear that every visa decision—including those for World Cup attendees—will be evaluated through a national security lens. Giuliani acknowledged that ticket holders will have access to immigration authorities to apply for visas, a concession announced jointly by Trump and FIFA. He also noted that consular wait times for visas in countries like Argentina, Ecuador, and Brazil have been reduced to under two months, and that European nations and Japan enjoy visa-waiver status.
The situation grows more complicated for citizens of nations under Trump's travel ban. Haiti and Iran, both participating in the tournament, appear on a list of 19 countries whose citizens are prohibited from entering the United States. Giuliani stated that some members of both teams' delegations have received exemptions allowing them entry. For ordinary fans from those countries seeking to attend matches, he deferred to the State Department, which handles visa issuance.
The administration's stance has already drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates. Human Rights Watch released a statement this week expressing alarm about the safety of foreign visitors attending the World Cup in America. The organization cited a concrete and troubling case: an asylum seeker who attended the Club World Cup final in New Jersey in July was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The man had brought his children to the match as a special outing. He was held for three months before being deported to a country where, he claims, his life is in danger.
Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, described the case as emblematic of deeper risks. "A father passionate about football, who planned a special day with his children at a FIFA tournament, ended up detained for three months and then sent to a country where his life is in danger," she said in a statement. The organization argued that the detention illustrates the limits of FIFA's efforts to protect the human rights of foreign visitors at its events. Human Rights Watch called on FIFA to pressure American authorities to refrain from using World Cup matches as occasions to enforce immigration law, as they did during the Club World Cup this year.
Worden also trained criticism directly on Trump's immigration enforcement regime, warning that the administration's approach to applying migration laws at major sporting events "can separate families and expose people fleeing persecution to mortal danger." The tension is now explicit: the World Cup is meant to be a celebration of global sport and unity, yet it will unfold under an administration that has made immigration enforcement a centerpiece of its governing philosophy. For millions of potential visitors—especially those from countries under travel restrictions or those with uncertain legal status—the promise of hospitality rings hollow against the reality of enforcement.
Citações Notáveis
The president Trump does not rule out anything that makes this country safer.— Andrew Giuliani, White House World Cup task force coordinator
A father passionate about football, who planned a special day with his children at a FIFA tournament, ended up detained for three months and then sent to a country where his life is in danger.— Minky Worden, Human Rights Watch director of global initiatives
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would an administration choose to enforce immigration law during a global sporting event? Doesn't that seem counterintuitive?
It's not counterintuitive to them. They see every enforcement action as a security measure, and they're not willing to create what they view as a loophole. The logic is: if we pause enforcement for the World Cup, we're signaling that security takes a back seat to convenience.
But the Club World Cup case—the man with his children—that's not a security threat. That's a father.
Right. And that's the gap between the policy and the human reality. The asylum seeker wasn't a danger; he was someone fleeing danger. But the system doesn't distinguish. Once you're undocumented or your visa status is uncertain, you're treated as an enforcement priority, regardless of context.
So FIFA essentially has no leverage here?
They have some. They negotiated ticket-holder access to visa processing, and they got wait times reduced. But they can't override the administration's core position: that national security trumps everything else, including the spirit of an international event.
What about the countries under the travel ban? How do their fans attend?
Most can't, unless they have an exemption. Haiti and Iran have some team members who got waivers, but ordinary citizens from those countries face a near-total barrier. It's a stark reminder that the ban isn't being lifted for the tournament—it's being maintained.