The NFL has announced that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not be carrying out any enforcement operations during Super Bowl LX, which will feature the Seattle Seahawks facing off against the New England Patriots.
At a recent security briefing, Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, confirmed there are no scheduled ICE activities planned for the event, as reported by ESPN.
“We are confident that there are no planned ICE enforcement activities,” Lanier assured attendees at the briefing.
Previously, some reports suggested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had stated ICE would be conducting operations during the Super Bowl LX.
However, according to ESPN, insiders informed The Associated Press that Jeff Brannigan, a DHS official, had hosted several private discussions. During these, he clarified that ICE has no intention of carrying out law enforcement actions in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.
Per Fox News, DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski said in October that ICE enforcement is a “directive from the president” and will not be stopped for the Super Bowl, which is between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium.
“There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally,” Lewandowski said during an interview on “The Benny Show” podcast. “Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find and deport you. That is a very real situation.”
According to ESPN, “sources told The Associated Press” that Jeff Brannigan — a DHS official, had “hosted a series of private calls” in which he “indicated that ICE does not plan to conduct any law enforcement actions the week of the Super Bowl.”
