FIFA World Cup visitors in the US issued 'serious' travel warning
Topics: Immigration, Football
William Morgan
Featured Image Credit: Raul ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Immigration, Football
Visitors to the US are being warned about the 'serious harm' they could face during the FIFA World Cup as the result of the Trump administration's policies.
With the biggest soccer tournament on the planet set to kickoff in about six weeks, 120 civil organizations have issued a travel advisory to the roughly 10 million people that are about to flock to America's shores.
11 cities across the country will play host to the international soccer tournament, but many foreign fans will need to be wary of falling afoul of some of the changes since President Trump took office, more than 120 civil organizations have said.
Groups from the American Civil Liberties Union to Reporters Without Borders are urging caution for these millions of visitors, with certain groups of people facing 'serious harm' if they put a foot wrong.
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Their travel warning reads:
"While the Trump administration’s rising authoritarianism and increasing violence pose serious risks to all, those from immigrant communities, racial and ethnic minority groups, and LGBTQ+ individuals have been and continue to be disproportionately targeted and affected by the administration’s policies and, as such, are most vulnerable to serious harm when traveling to and/or within the United States."
The organizations behind the warning have long been critical of Trump's key policies, which have sent squads of masked and armed immigration enforcement officers into communities across the country.
Scenes like those in Minneapolis that saw nurse Alex Pretti and mom Renée Good shot dead by these masked agents were seen around the world, no doubt already causing some trepidation among soccer fans traveling to America.
But this travel advisory from civil society has infuriated some, especially in the Trump administration, who see it as an act of 'sabotage'.
US Travel Association President Geoff Freeman blasted the advisory notice, telling Newsweek: "Let's say the quiet part out loud: the campaign by civil society organizations to discourage World Cup travel isn't about protecting visitors.
"It's about using the livelihoods of American workers and businesses as leverage to influence policies they oppose. That's not advocacy. That's sabotage.
"Are there legitimate concerns about U.S. entry policies right now? Yes—and we've said so publicly. Has the Trump administration made progress in numerous areas? Unequivocally."
The advisory says that 'individuals may encounter or be subjected to the following risks and harms in
breach of the United States’ human rights obligations under domestic and international
law'.