A coalition of labor and immigrant rights groups says FIFA\u2019s accreditation requirements for SoFi Stadium workers could funnel sensitive personal data to ICE<\/p>\n
On Wednesday morning in downtown Los Angeles, demonstrators are set to gather outside FIFA\u2019s LA World Cup offices on 5th Street with a warning for the organization hosting the world\u2019s most-watched sporting event \u2014 the people who keep your stadiums running are afraid.<\/p>\n
The rally, organized by a coalition that includes UNITE HERE Local 11, CHIRLA, LAANE and the California Immigrant Policy Center, focuses on a claim that FIFA\u2019s worker accreditation process for SoFi Stadium<\/a> may be dangerous for immigrant workers. Organizers say that workers seeking credentials to do their jobs during the 2026 tournament must hand over sensitive personal information. This includes social security numbers, home addresses, country of birth and nationality. They also must waive privacy protections guaranteed under California law.<\/p>\n For undocumented workers and their families, this is risky.<\/p>\n The coalition is concerned that data collected through FIFA\u2019s credentialing system could be shared with federal agencies \u2014 specifically, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection \u2014 via the Department of Homeland Security. In the current political moment<\/a>, with immigration enforcement operating at elevated intensity across Southern California, it is not out of the question. <\/p>\n In fact, back in February, the acting head of ICE, Todd Lyons, told a congressional committee<\/a> that the agency is \u201ca key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup\u201d when asked if he would pause operations for this summer\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n The demonstration follows a formal complaint filed by the ACLU of Southern California, UNITE HERE Local 11 and LAANE with both the California Privacy Protection Agency and the state Department of Justice, requesting an investigation into whether FIFA\u2019s process violates the California Consumer Privacy Act and the state constitution\u2019s privacy protections.<\/p>\n The union filing says this accreditation form compelled workers to share information, including their social security number, nationality, current residential address and country of birth, which Petersen said has raised concerns.https:\/\/t.co\/KBXun7hsuu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UNITE HERE Local 11 (@unitehere11) May 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The pushback has spread far beyond LA.<\/p>\n Scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n \u201cWe urge FIFA to consider the financial and human impact that collaborating with DHS could have on the working people who make these games possible, not to mention on local businesses, host cities and communities and FIFA itself,\u201d said Liz Shuler, president of AFL-CIO, in a Monday letter<\/a>. \u201cThe games should be a welcoming and celebratory event for spectators, workers, and soccer enthusiasts of all backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n The coalition demands that the organization stop requiring workers to waive California privacy rights, end any data-sharing with DHS or ICE and be transparent about how employee information is stored and used.<\/p>\n For some of the tens of thousands of hospitality workers who will be asked to staff FIFA venues, the stakes are high. UNITE HERE Local 11 represents more than 32,000 workers across Southern California and Arizona, including staff at SoFi Stadium, BMO Stadium and hotels throughout the LA region. Many of those workers are immigrants, some undocumented, and their ability to participate in one of the largest events ever hosted in LA depends in part on whether they feel safe doing so.<\/p>\n The issue has already begun to attract political attention. Last week, gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer joined SoFi Stadium workers at a rally in Inglewood, calling on FIFA and stadium owner Kroenke Sports and Entertainment to publicly commit that ICE would play no role in World Cup operations. He also called for fair wages, safe working conditions and employer contributions to affordable housing for the workforce, making the event possible.<\/p>\n \u201cICE has no role in the 2026 World Cup games,\u201d Steyer said<\/a>. <\/p>\n Advocates have urged Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate, following a separate complaint<\/a> filed earlier this month alleging that FIFA\u2019s accreditation policy violates both the CCPA and workers\u2019 constitutional privacy rights.<\/p>\n Over the next few years, Los Angeles will host the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics<\/a> in 2028, positioning itself, as city leaders have long promised, as a welcoming, global city. That narrative sits uneasily alongside a credentialing system that, advocates say, may endanger the very workers who make these events possible by exposing them to federal immigration authorities.<\/p>\n