By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - Advocacy groups issued a travel advisory on Thursday, warning that visitors traveling to the U.S. for the 2026 World Cup may face arbitrary detention or deportation, among other human rights abuses.
The warning, which came less than two months before the sporting event kicks off in Mexico, was signed by dozens of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP.
The event will take place against a backdrop of widespread immigration crackdown by the Trump administration and the erosion of federal protections for racial minorities and members of the LGBTQ community.
Fans, players, journalists and other visitors may face racial profiling, searches of electronic devices, or risk of cruel or inhuman treatment if they end up in immigration detention facilities, according to the advisory.
The groups added that people from immigrant communities, racial and ethnic minority groups, and LGBTQ individuals are "most vulnerable to serious harm" when traveling to the U.S.
For this reason, they said, visitors should exercise caution and have an emergency contingency plan.
"FIFA has unique leverage right now to pressure the U.S. government to respect the fundamental human rights of every person visiting and attending the games, as well as those working and living in the 11 U.S. host cities," the ACLU said in a statement referring to the sport's global governing body.
"That's why the ACLU and other members of the Dignity 2026 Coalition have been urging FIFA to act. But FIFA has yet to offer meaningful assurances."
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement, the world soccer organization said: “As per article 3 of the FIFA Statutes, FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights."
It cited several actions and a special rights advisory group as "evidence of FIFA’s commitment to human rights across all key activities and actors connected to the tournament.”
Thursday's warnings follow a March statement from Amnesty International that the tournament is drifting far from the "safe, free and inclusive" event originally promised by FIFA.
The World Cup is set to hold 104 matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada, starting in June. Eleven U.S. cities will host matches for the sporting event, including East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York, where the championship match will be held.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Donna Bryson; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
