Rep. Eric Swalwell introduces bill to block ICE at World Cup sites
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Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., also touched on his college football career when he introduced a package of bills to prevent immigration enforcement in and around World Cup venues this June.
More than a dozen American cities will host World Cup soccer matches, including East Rutherford, N.J., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington; Three Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee want to prevent what they call racial and linguistic profiling that would terrorize supporters.
“How can our country host the World Cup while deporting fans from around the world?” In his statement, Swalwell said he was introducing the “Safe Transition to the World Cup Act”.
“As a former League 1 football player, I know what an honor it is to host the world’s biggest sporting event.
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Swalwell, an Iowa native, played goalie in Division I football at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina.
The future liberal firebrand dreamed of becoming a professional football star himself, but he ended up breaking his thumbs, which eventually sidelined his future career.
After transferring to the University of Maryland at College Park, she interned for Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a California Democrat, in neighboring Washington, D.C.
“That was a turning point. I knew I didn’t want to play football anymore; I wanted to be in Washington,” Swalwell said. He told Diablo Magazine in a 2013 story now copied on the official convention website.
Eric Swalwell attends the 2nd Annual Capital Classic football event. (Warren Rojas/Getty Images)
Swalwell’s bill Forbidden Use of federal DHS funding for civil immigration enforcement activities on public transportation or at terminals in any city hosting a FIFA match or festival from June 11 through July 19.
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The bill provides for the “hot pursuit” of suspects who pose an “imminent risk to public safety.”
“Our priority should be to perform the best we can, not to have the police seize buses, trains and public spaces,” Swalwell said in a statement. he said.
“This bill ensures that ICE cannot turn everyday public transportation into a site of terrorism. It is a shame for DHS to ensnare people with political demonstrations.”
“We’re better than that,” he said.
Swalwell sits on the House Homeland Security Committee’s Working Group on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States.
The panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Nellie Pou of New Jersey, represents the area around the New York Giants stadium where the games will be held.
Pou has drafted a companion bill called the Save the World Cup Act, which would ban enforcement of immigration near matches or festivals and would implement measures to ensure parking lots and fans at halfway houses are not violated by ICE enforcement sweeps to “deter attendance and target communities indiscriminately.”
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“With less than 90 days until kickoff, the World Cup should bring the world together and not leave families wondering whether ICE agents will be waiting outside stadiums,” Pou said in a statement, adding that he asked ICE Director Todd Lyons if he would reassure him there would be no such enforcement, but he declined.
A third task force member — Rep. LaMonica McIver, D.N.J. — still faces charges for an alleged assault on a federal agent outside Delaney Hall in his hometown of Newark.
The case remains active as of January. According to the New Jersey MonitorBiden-appointed Judge Jamel Semper reportedly allowed two of the three counts to proceed during McIver’s appeal.
McIver’s companion bill would prohibit the use of state grant programs to enforce civil immigration near World Cup playing venues.
“Fans from around the world and across the country will travel to New Jersey to watch the World Cup, and keeping them safe means protecting them from DHS’s attempt to turn this global event into a trapping web for the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda,” he said in a statement.
“We fought to secure millions of federal dollars so football fans can enjoy the greatest game on earth; they shouldn’t fear immigration enforcement. I’m introducing this bill to draw a clear line so that state and local law enforcement can truly focus on keeping fans safe.”
A DHS spokesman said the agency plans to work with local and federal partners to secure the World Cup games “in line with federal law and the U.S. Constitution, as we do with every major sporting event, while showcasing America’s greatness to the world.”
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“International visitors lawfully coming to the United States for the World Cup have nothing to worry about,” DHS said. “What makes someone a target of immigration enforcement is whether or not they are in the United States illegally—full stop.”
The spokesman said speculation in the legislative package was “misinformed” and that foreign visitors should still be “proactive” and send all their forms and personal documents to Washington in advance to ensure a smooth travel experience.
