Officials say ICE is not scheduled to attend Super Bowl 60
Officials confirmed there will be no ICE enforcement at any Super Bowl 60 events as federal agencies outline security plans and flight restrictions.
- Despite assurances from the NFL and officials that ICE will not be present at the Super Bowl, community activists remain skeptical.
- Protests and rallies are planned during the Super Bowl due to concerns about increased immigration enforcement.
- Recent immigration crackdowns in other cities have increased anxiety among Bay Area communities.
- Local leaders and organizations are preparing for potential ICE operations by training volunteers and issuing strong statements.
SAN FRANCISCO – Despite repeated assurances from the NFL, federal government and local leaders that there will be no ICE appearances in and around the Super Bowl, Gabby Chavez Lopez isn’t buying it at all.
“Can you really blame us?” said Chavez López, executive director of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, a nonprofit organization based in San Jose, California. She wasn’t going to take their word for it, saying, “That’s not the case with this presidential administration, and especially not with ICE.”
Musa Tariq, policy coordinator for the San Francisco Bay Area Council on American-Islamic Relations, agrees. “Yes, there is certainly fear and anxiety. We do not trust federal agencies that do not respect our constitution and the laws that accompany it.”
Their concerns come as a coalition of community organizations across the Bay Area hold rallies, marches and protests during the Super Bowl, worried that the heavy security presence at the big game and mixed messages from federal authorities so far could lead to increased enforcement by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security while the sports world watches.
Messrs. Chavez-Lopez and Tariq participated in a lively midday rally and march at Cesar Chavez Plaza in San Jose on February 2, with the city’s downtown convention center, site of the opening night celebrations of Super Bowl LX, in the background. They watched speaker after speaker issue a declarative message: “Get ICE out of the Bay.”
“I think we have to be prepared for every scenario,” Chavez-Lopez said of ICE’s presence. “I hope they don’t come, because it would show them that we’re not really a community to mess with. We’ve proven that time and time again, and this time is no different.”
“Hope for the best and prepare for the worst”
Nevertheless, officials seemed determined to keep their promise. During a Feb. 3 press conference in San Francisco, NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier repeatedly said different versions of the same message when fielded questions.
“There are no ICE or immigration enforcement activities scheduled before or after the Super Bowl or Super Bowl-related events,” Lanier said, adding that the Department of Homeland Security, which is made up of more than 20 different departments, will bring together security officials from numerous agencies for the Super Bowl, but stressed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE, will not be among them.
Department of Homeland Security Agent Jeffrey Brannigan, who coordinates security operations among various law enforcement agencies, highlighted Lanier’s remarks in response to similar ICE-related questions from reporters.
The question comes amid ongoing aggressive immigration enforcement and civil unrest in Minneapolis that led to the shooting deaths of two Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Preti, by federal immigration agents last month. Their killings led to a partial government shutdown, as some lawmakers have called for more accountability for the actions of ICE and Customs and Border Protection. Community members are also alarmed by President Donald Trump’s controversial deportation campaigns in Los Angeles and Chicago.
The Department of Homeland Security traditionally oversees security at major sporting events, including the Super Bowl. But some local activists said many of the details about the agency’s participation are unclear and inconsistent, including whether its role includes immigration enforcement during the Super Bowl.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan also said last week that there would be no immigration enforcement, and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Chairman Otto Lee strongly and emotionally declared at a Jan. 27 board meeting that there would be no enforcement.
“Let me be clear: no one is above the law, there is no such thing as absolute immunity, and there is no license to kill,” Lee said at a meeting on ICE. “If someone comes into the county masked and spreads terrorism, breaks the law, or threatens residents, they will be arrested by sheriff’s deputies and police officers.”
Two days later, Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Johnsen said at a news conference, joined by Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Sam Liccardo, that local officials had not yet been contacted about whether there would be immigration enforcement, causing anxiety in the local community.
Nearly a week later, tensions remain in diverse immigrant-heavy cities such as San Francisco, Silicon Valley hotspot San Jose and Super Bowl host Santa Clara, sparking a week of demonstrations, said Tariq of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“Our concerns include that federal agents may seize this opportunity to expand raids on workplaces and schools, militarize their presence, make threats, and use violence,” Tariq said. “That’s why we hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
Mariam Arif, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), said many area residents want to participate in Super Bowl-related activities but are too scared to do so, and that fear may continue when World Cup games are held in the Bay Area in June.
“For some people, especially those with families and children, it’s difficult to take that risk,” Arif said. “That’s what we’ve been seeing and hearing.”
Chavez-Lopez said the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, a group of 10 nonprofit organizations that document ICE operations, send warnings to communities and provide free emergency legal assistance to immigrants, is training dozens of new volunteers in preparation for anticipated Super Bowl enforcement.
“We’re all just trying to come together and do our part and represent ourselves and make sure our voices are heard,” Chavez-Lopez said. “We will not be silent.
