A travel alert was issued Feb. 4 for international tourists traveling to the United States “particularly in Florida,” warning their rights, liberty and physical security could potentially be in danger.
The warning came from a group of civil rights groups such that “strongly advised to reconsider travel to the state.”
Groups involved are ACLU of Florida, Florida Immigrant Coalition, American Friends Service Committee, Family Action Network Movement and Semillas de Colombia.
This is in response to what the groups called multiple cases of tourists and U.S. citizens being detained for immigration enforcement purposes.
“Florida is no longer a safe destination for international tourists. When federal and local agents can detain anyone at anytime without cause and without identifying themselves, everyone is at risk. International visitors must ask themselves if a soccer match is worth the risk of being kidnapped and jailed until God-knows-when, in deplorable conditions, by a secret police who is using racial profiling, judging people for how they look or their accent, and getting away with literal murder in the streets of our country,” said Tessa Petit, Executive Director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.“Such is the state of affairs in the United States and in Florida. We urge the international community to be aware of the risks before setting foot in Florida.”
The groups are especially concerned about international fans planning to travel to Florida for 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins in June.
Throngs of soccer fans from around the world are expected to descend on the U.S. for the various matches, including seven scheduled to be played in South Florida.
The groups claim “enforcement tactics threaten to place international fans and delegations at risk —especially people of color, visitors from Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and dual-nationals who could be targeted or questioned without cause.”
The advisory urges travelers to:
Mark Pieth, a Swiss attorney who chaired an oversight committee on FIFA reform, urged fans to skip the World Cup.
“There’s only one piece of advice for fans,” he told the Swiss newspaper Der Bund. “Stay away from the USA! You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”
Sepp Blatter, the ex-FIFA president, wrote on social media, “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post contributed to this report.
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.