ICE Raids Super Bowl: Immigration Crackdown

Unusual use of immigration enforcement personnel at sporting events
Negative public opinion in the community, growing anger over excessive crackdowns

As there are speculations that immigration enforcement agents will be deployed to the Super Bowl, the largest sports festival in the United States, tensions between local and immigrant communities are increasing. The Super Bowl is the championship game of National Football League (NFL).

According to the British daily Guardian, there has been a possibility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be deployed to the 60th Super Bowl game to be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on the 8th of next month.

Although deployment of personnel for security purposes is routine, it is unusual for ICE personnel, whose main job is immigration enforcement, to be mobilized for large-scale sporting events.

There are concerns that immigration enforcement agents will be deployed, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not confirmed whether there will be enforcement. However, the Department of Homeland Security took a general stance, saying, “We are cooperating with local and federal partners to ensure that the Super Bowl can be held safely,” and that “there is no reason to be afraid as long as the law is not broken.”

Public opinion in the community is not favorable. This is because the federal government’s crackdown on immigration is strengthening, and vulnerable groups such as immigrant families are trembling with anxiety.

In particular, with the recent incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota in which two citizens lost their lives after being shot by ICE agents, anger over excessive crackdowns is also growing. Protests against immigration crackdowns are also spreading across the United States.

Reporter Eunbyeol Kim [email protected]