The turbulent social climate in the United States is also disrupting the World Cup. The atmosphere has grown even more fraught following the killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a migration operation in north Minneapolis. Reactions have surged after yet another violent episode in the country set to host one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.

One of the most striking responses came from Mohamad Safa, a Lebanese diplomat and executive director of PVA Patriotic Vision, a nongovernmental organization accredited as a consultant to the United Nations on economic, social and environmental issues. In a message posted on his official X account (formerly Twitter), Safa said he had canceled the tickets he had purchased for the 2026 World Cup, fearing that ICE could label him a “dangerous” individual because of his background.

“The ICE may decide that I am a gang member, and I’ll be locked in prison for a year with no charges, no hearing, no trial, no right to consult a lawyer, no phone call,” Safa wrote. ”The US is not safe to visit.”

His comments referred to the anti-immigration drive unleashed by Donald Trump’s second administration since January 2025, as well as allegations of potential human rights violations associated with those policies.

More voices criticizing the United States and Trump

Safa is not the only figure linking the social and political climate in the United States to FIFA’s World Cup, which is set to kick off on June 11. Ajamu Baraka, a left-wing activist and former vice-presidential candidate for the US Green party, has called for a boycott of the tournament in response to the Minneapolis shooting. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also questioned the militarization of public security in the United States, as well as the detention mechanisms used against immigrants, many of which they say have been carried out without legal basis or respect for human rights, in the context of hosting the World Cup.

For several months now, the website “Boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup” has been compiling reports on actions taken by Donald Trump’s administration that clash with the tournament’s conciliatory and universal spirit. The Republican administration has repeatedly denied these allegations.

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