Santa Clara Super Bowl LX set to be ‘ICE free’

The United States is going through turbulent times, with a completely polarized society, much of it frightened by recent events.

The latest actions of the controversial ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), have sparked countless protests across the country, still reeling from the cold-blooded murders of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, two protesters from Minnesota, just over two weeks apart at the hands of agents from this law enforcement agency.

These past few days, in San Francisco, there was uncertainty about whether this controversial agency, which has gained in presence, severity, and budget under Donald Trump’s presidency, would be present for Sunday’s Super Bowl. This Tuesday, the uncertainty was resolved: ICE will not be conducting operations in the Bay Area during this period.

Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, confirmed this during the league’s traditional press conference outlining security protocols for the Super Bowl, which AS attended. “There are no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations scheduled around the Super Bowl,” said Lanier, who is in her 10th season in the position. She also confirmed that ICE will not be present at any events related to the game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. “That includes all Super Bowl-related events during the week, yes. ICE is not assigned as part of our security team.”

The absence of ICE is a relief for the Super Bowl and for San Francisco, where signs with numerous slogans against the agency can be found on many streets. In fact, Bad Bunny, the artist who will perform at the halftime show, called for ICE to leave American streets in his Grammy speech this Sunday, and on January 31st there was a major demonstration in the city against this agency, which belongs to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which will be sending other federal agencies—nothing new there. “Our responsibility is to support the security plan of the host cities. I refer you to what Chief Lanier said in response to those questions,” commented Jeffrey Brannigan, DHS federal coordinator.

To close the most discussed topic at the press conference, Lanier expressed her confidence that everything will proceed according to plan and that ICE will not appear unexpectedly. “We have a great relationship with our federal partners; we’ve been working for 18 months leading up to this week. I’m confident that it’s a strong relationship and that safety is paramount. I’m sure our plans are focused on the Super Bowl and that Sunday afternoon will have a happy ending.”

Beyond this agency, the NFL issued a message that it will be a safe Super Bowl, for which the second-highest level of security has been activated due to the event’s significance. “Thirty-five local and federal agencies will be collaborating; it will be similar to what you might see at the World Cup or the Olympic Games.

There are intelligence groups monitoring the situation, and there are no threats that we see as real or credible,” stated Lanier, who concluded with “we are ready.” Derrick Lew, Chief of the San Francisco Police Department, encouraged people to “visit the city and discover why it’s the best in the world.” “Anywhere in San Francisco will be safe,” added Lew, who nevertheless asked for “patience” from the public due to the strict security measures and traffic delays. He summarized it by saying that this Super Bowl, one without ICE, will be “fun and safe.”

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