The spotlight is on the United States as tensions continue to rise over immigration enforcement operations.
The controversial tactics that led to the death of two American citizens in Minneapolis have followed Americans across the ocean, as Team USA security officials assured members of the media and local officials that there were no ICE agents as part of their delegation in Milan for the Winter Olympics.
But this summer, millions of people from around the world will be coming to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and many have raised concerns about ICE presence at matches in U.S. cities.
Eight matches will be played in Atlanta beginning in June, including five group stage matches and three from later in the tournament. ICE has increased its presence in Atlanta, and a new ICE detention center is slated for construction and operation in Social Circle, Georgia, about 45 miles east of Atlanta.
Will there be ICE agents in Atlanta for the World Cup? Here’s what Mayor Andre Dickens said.
On Feb. 3, Dickens and the City of Atlanta announced coordinated resources for small businesses to help during “major global events,” notably the World Cup.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our neighborhoods and our economy,” Dickens said in a statement. “As Atlanta steps onto the global stage, we are focused on making sure our entrepreneurs have access to the tools, information, and partnerships they need to succeed, during these major events and well beyond them.”
Showcase Atlanta will help businesses with funding and capital, youth entrepreneurship, grants, pop-up and vending opportunities, in-person workshops and help with technical issues, a workforce expo and other tools to help small businesses with their online readiness.
When asked about ICE presence at the World Cup in Atlanta by a reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dickens said the potential that Atlanta could be a new focal point for ICE was “unsettling.”
“I can’t predict what a federal government will attempt to do at 11 sites of World Cup matches across the United States,” Dickens said. “We hope that their presence will be small, unnoticeable, negligible, invisible — and maybe nonexistent.”
If the city becomes aware that ICE is bringing in extra support, other than the two field offices already stationed in the Atlanta metro, they will alert businesses.
“We will make sure we get as much heads-up as possible, so that small businesses and large businesses — and citizens — will get ample information from us about what to expect (and) how to maintain your own dignity and rights,” the mayor said.
Dickens said the city will have an inclusive tournament “despite somebody’s presence that I’m not inviting to come.”
At the end of January, ICE confirmed a new field office would soon be operating in College Park, but a specific location was not disclosed. A spokesperson for the agency also did not provide a timeline for when more agents may be stationed there.
Local officials said they had not been informed about the decision, but the agency said this particular office was not associated with a larger coordinated DHS operation, like the one in Minneapolis, and was instead part of a general initiative to expand ICE under the Trump Administration.
There is already a major ICE field office in Atlanta, off Ted Turner Drive SW in downtown, which oversees operations in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Previous reporting in August from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found it was one of the most active field offices in the nation, accounting for a particularly high number of arrests.
Students across the Atlanta metro participated in a nationwide walkout last week, in some cases in direct violation of school policy and under the threat of disciplinary action.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.