Amnesty International and dozens of US civil and human rights groups issued a statement: World Cup “Travel Advisory” on Thursday, warning tournament visitors of “rising tyranny and increasing violence” in the United States during the president’s term Donald Trump violent Immigration Enforcement.
The organizations said that the warning was necessary “in light of the deteriorating human rights situation in the United States and in the absence of meaningful measures and concrete guarantees from FIFA, the host cities, or the American government.”
The warnings say visitors could be arbitrarily barred from entering the country, detained in “inhumane” conditions or subjected to invasive searches via phone and social media. He points to aggressive increases in immigration in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, which have led to accusations of racial profiling and violent suppression of protests.
Tourism officials have condemned the message, saying the groups are threatening the livelihoods of service industry workers in an attempt to achieve their political goals.
Jeff Freeman, President & The CEO of the U.S. Travel Association said there are legitimate concerns about entry policies into the United States but they are being blown out of proportion. He said in a statement that there were 67 million international travelers to the United States last year.
“The idea that visiting America poses a real safety risk is not a good-faith warning, but rather a political tactic aimed at causing economic harm,” Freeman said.
A FIFA spokesperson pointed to several statements and policies, including the federation’s governing documents, which state that “FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and will strive to strengthen the protection of these rights.”
The United States has witnessed a Decrease in the number of international travelers Since Trump returned to the White House last year He offended US allies With talk of making Canada a US state, taking control of Greenland and questioning the value of NATO. The tourism industry depends on a large influx of World Cup visitors, even like Trump travel ban For citizens of 19 countries Injecting more uncertainty.
The administration is betting that it is seeking this Speed up visa processing For visitors, excitement about the tournament will outweigh concerns that Trump’s immigration messaging undermines the theme of global unity that the World Cup is supposed to represent.
The tournament kicks off on June 11 with matches spread across North America, including 11 venues in the United States along with two in Canada and three in Mexico.