Human Rights Watch warns against exclusion and fear at the World Cup in the United States
In concerns about entry into American soil, freedom of expression or the press: the NGO Human Rights Watch based in New York cautioned on Monday against a World Cup of “exclusion and fear” in the United States.
In a document intended for journalists covering the World Cup (June 11th – July 19th), mainly organized in the United States, but also in Canada and Mexico, HRW estimates that Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policy poses the risk of a World Cup of “exclusion and fear” for both migrants and visitors.
At its offices in Berlin, HRW invited several other NGOs for a press conference about the different categories of visitors. “Fans, journalists, and other individuals who will travel to the United States (…) are at risk of detention, expulsion, or discrimination in a human rights landscape shaped by the policies of the Trump administration,” warned Maja Liebing, Americas specialist at Amnesty International.
Context: Human Rights Watch expresses concerns about the impact of Trump’s immigration policies on the World Cup in the United States.
Fact Check: The article mentions the risk faced by visitors and migrants due to the anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration.
Proximity between Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump denounced
In its summary, Human Rights Watch accuses FIFA of having had a “timid response” so far and of not having “used its influence” against Washington. The President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, the only sports leader present at Donald Trump’s inauguration, regularly shows his closeness to the American president, to the point of awarding him last year a “FIFA Peace Prize” specifically created for the occasion, the criteria of which have never been specified.
Andrea Florence, director of Sport & Rights Alliance, called on the international federation to “ensure that this World Cup respects and advances human rights,” as many supporters fear traveling to the United States this summer due to ICE raids targeting and deporting illegal foreign nationals.
Human Rights Watch explains that based on US government data, over 167,000 arrests were recorded in the 11 host cities in the United States between the beginning of 2015 and early 2016 when Donald Trump took office. They also mentioned the arrest, detention in a migrant center, and deportation by ICE of an asylum seeker who came to attend the 2025 Club World Cup final in New Jersey with his children. Additionally, four qualified countries – Iran, Haiti, Senegal, and Ivory Coast – may not be able to rely on their supporters due to travel bans imposed by the American government.
