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Vancouver city council is getting ready to debate whether it should take a position on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents operating in the city during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Councillors Pete Fry and Sean Orr will bring forward a motion on Feb. 26 calling on Vancouver to oppose ICE agents performing security duties during the tournament.

While there are no confirmed plans for ICE agents to operate in the city, Fry says he wants council to state its position in advance. 

“We really don’t want ICE security operatives here… it would be prudent of us to get ahead of it,” he said.

WATCH | Sean Orr explains position on ICE at World Cup:

Should Vancouver kick ICE out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Vancouver councillors Pete Fry and Sean Orr have introduced a motion to ban U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from participating in security for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to prevent potential protests and boycotts. Orr tells CBC host Stephen Quinn that banning ICE is about both sending a political message to Vancouverites and visitors.
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The motion comes amid heightened local attention on ICE, including protests and boycotts in Vancouver tied to fatal shootings involving the agency in the United States.

Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has overseen a major expansion of the agency responsible for enforcing immigration within the country. ICE has ramped up arrests and been repeatedly accused of using excessive force in its operations.

Fry said the motion was prompted by reports that ICE agents could assist U.S. diplomatic security at the Milan Olympics.

Fry said he is concerned about how quickly new ICE agents are being hired and what that could mean for their training standards.

“We know that training went from five months for an agent to about 47 days … undertrained foreign security operatives coming to our country potentially is a problem,” he said. 

What are the chances the U.S. plays in Vancouver? 

The U.S. team is not scheduled to play any group matches in Canada and would only appear in Vancouver if it advanced to the Round of 16 knockout game on July 7. 

Using a simplified statistical model, two UBC statisticians estimate that scenario has less than a one per cent chance of happening.

“The basics of the probability calculation is to assume that every possible outcome is equally likely for every match that’s played … once you make that assumption, you come up with the probability of the United States playing a game in Vancouver of being a little bit less than half of a per cent,” said Daniel McDonald, a professor in UBC’s statistics department.

Even with the low odds, Fry said the motion is about stating the city’s position and alerting the federal government in advance.

WATCH | Vancouver’s World Cup plans face political and security questions:

Vancouver’s World Cup plans face political and security questions

With the FIFA World Cup just four months away, the City of Vancouver is facing questions around how U.S. border rules could impact visitors’ travel and whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be allowed in as security. CBC’s Laurence Watt reports.ICE operations in Canada

In a statement, Canada’s Border Services Agency said the federal government is co-ordinating with American and Mexican border partners for the World Cup while maintaining full Canadian control over admissibility decisions.

The agency did not confirm at this stage whether any additional U.S. law-enforcement personnel will be allowed into Canada for the World Cup. 

However, ICE already has staff in Canada, including at the U.S. consulate in Vancouver, through its investigations branch known as Homeland Security Investigations. The agency says these officers work on cross-border crime cases but do not make arrests or carry guns in Canada. 

WATCH | What to know about ICE has offices in Canada:

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As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to draw widespread criticism for its deportation crackdown in the States, there’s concern brewing about the agency’s presence north of the border.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota, where two local residents were fatally shot in January by federal officers, according to border czar Tom Homan.

Homan says about 700 federal agents, a mix of agents from both agencies, will be withdrawn from the immigration operation around Minnesota. Roughly 3,000 federal officers were deployed to the state beginning in early December as part of Operation Metro Surge.

FIFA says interest in the tournament remains exceptionally strong. The organization said it received more than 500 million ticket requests during the first sales phase, with applications coming from every region of the world. 

FIFA says holding a match ticket does not guarantee entry into host countries, which retain authority over visas and border decisions.