U.S. ICE authorities will not be in Vancouver for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, says VPD chief
ICE’s operations have been highly controversial in the U.S., particularly in recent months, with criticism over the short training periods for officers and leading some Italian officials to call its operations akin to a militia.
During today’s public meeting, Fry noted that it was announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security just weeks before the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics that ICE agents would be deployed to Italy.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents were there to support the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (SDDSS) at the Olympics, with the SDDSS working to protect American athletes, coaches, sponsors, spectators, and visiting official dignitaries — including U.S. vice president JD Vance and U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio, who attended the Olympic opening ceremony. ICE’s HSI officers are separate from the ICE division that is practicing immigration crackdowns within the U.S. mainland. It was noted that ICE’s HSI was assisting both SDDSS and the host nation to “mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations” on U.S. athletes and other officials and that “all [Games] security operations remain under Italian authority.”
ICE’s HSI did need permission from Italian authorities to be present at the Winter Olympics, and that permission came through diplomatic and legal arrangements between the U.S. and Italy, with HSI agents working in U.S. diplomatic offices like the Milan consulate — strictly advisory and for intelligence gathering, not on the ground and no patrolling or enforcement.
Vancouver will host a total of seven FIFA World Cup matches, including four group stage matches — involving Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Qatar, Switzerland, and a yet-to-be-qualified European country. The remaining two matches will be knockout rounds — a Round of 32 match and a Round of 16 match.
Theoretically, for any remote chance for ICE’s HSI agents to be deployed in Vancouver specifically for the FIFA World Cup, the U.S. would have to play in Vancouver in one of these knockout rounds.
Based on the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s 104-match bracket, there is a chance, albeit slim, for the U.S. to play any of its knockout rounds in Vancouver.
According to FIFA’s official U.S. broadcaster Fox Sports, the most direct U.S. knockout paths based on group finish (first or second) do not go through Vancouver on July 4 — they land in host cities like Santa Clara (San Francisco), Seattle, Arlington (Dallas), and Atlanta.
The only way the U.S. could play in Vancouver or Philadelphia in the knockout stages is if they finish third and qualify as one of the best third-place teams, and even then, the exact bracket slot matters. Fox Sports established three scenarios — the first scenario that put the Round of 32 match in Boston and Round of 16 match in Philadelphia, the second scenario that put the Round of 32 match in New York/New Jersey and the Round of 16 match in Philadelphia, and the third scenario that put the Round of 32 match in Kansas City and Round of 16 match in Vancouver on July 7.
So in summary, if the U.S. finishes first or second in Group D, there is no path to Vancouver, but if they finish third and advance as one of the best third-place teams, they could end up in Vancouver depending on which specific third-place bracket slot they are assigned.
In the rare scenario where the U.S. does play in the last Vancouver-hosted match of the tournament, SDSS would lead the protection of U.S. players and team staff and any visiting American government officials. That is the purpose of the SDSS.
Similarly, during the 2010 Winter Olympics, SDSS coordinated with the RCMP-led Olympic security operation to ensure the safety of American athletes and team staff, spectators, sponsors, and visiting government officials, such as U.S. vice president Joe Biden, who attended the Olympic opening ceremony at BC Place Stadium and a women’s ice hockey match at UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. SDSS agents also accompanied U.S. athletes at the venues in Metro Vancouver and Whistler to protect them.
A U.S. Department of State special agent (left) coordinates security for arrivals and departuresof U.S. athletes and VIPs with a RCMP officer at Vancouver International Airport during the 2010 Winter Olympics. (U.S. Department of State)
The question then is whether ICE’s HSI would be deployed to support SDSS in Vancouver — in the rare scenario the U.S. does play in Vancouver in a knockout match during the second last week of the tournament. Ahead of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Jason Houser, a former ICE chief of staff, said ICE is routinely deployed to major sporting events — including previous Olympics — in both the U.S. and other countries in the past.
In a letter to Vancouver City Council on Monday, shared with Daily Hive ahead of today’s public meeting on the motion, VPD chief constable Steve Rai states that no form of ICE will operate in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This suggests that under the security playbook for the tournament, ICE’s HSI will not support the SDSS, as it did for the 2026 Winter Olympics, even if the U.S. soccer team plays in Vancouver.
“There has been misinformation circulating regarding the potential involvement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for security operations for Vancouver’s FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. Let me be unequivocally clear: ICE is not being deployed, nor have they been invited or approved, to participate in security oversight for FIFA 2026 in Vancouver,” wrote Rai.
“Under the current framework for FIFA and British Columbia’s Police Act, external policing agencies may only operate within the City of Vancouver with the express permission of the Vancouver Police Board. No such request from ICE has been made, and no such permission has been granted. Further, U.S. law enforcement agencies have no police powers or any jurisdiction to enforce law in Canada.”
Rai further stated that he has personally consulted with the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver and the BC RCMP, and “both have clearly confirmed that ICE is not part of the security apparatus for Vancouver’s FIFA 2026 operations.”
He states that security planning for the tournament in Vancouver is being conducted by a partnership between the VPD and other Canadian law enforcement agencies in accordance with Canadian law and established Canadian governance structures.
“Suggestions that ICE will be involved in Vancouver’s FIFA operations are inaccurate and, frankly, amount to fearmongering,” continued Rai.
“Our priority remains delivering a safe, welcoming, and well-coordinated event for residents and visitors alike — grounded in transparency, legality, and public trust.”
On Monday, Mayor Sim also issued a statement, saying ICE “has not been invited to operate in Vancouver for the FIFA World Cup, nor are they welcome to conduct enforcement activities here… No such authorization exists for ICE to conduct immigration or policing operations in Vancouver.”
During City Council’s public meeting today, which was attended by the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver, Fry framed his motion to formally oppose any ICE presence in the city during the tournament as a “preemptive” measure, acknowledging that there are currently no plans to deploy ICE to Vancouver during the FIFA World Cup, but that “what we do know is that in the Italian Winter Olympics, the relatively sudden announcement that ICE enforcement would be present for those Games did result in significant protests and disruption.”
“Despite any assurances from local policing authorities or otherwise, there is the potential that there may yet be a request from the Department of Homeland Security. We don’t know, we certainly, I don’t have a crystal ball, which is why preemptively suggesting that any deployment, not the deployment, very specific wording, any deployment, it is contemplating a possible future or not,” continued Fry.
Fry’s motion was ruled out of order over his recommendation that City Council formally oppose “any deployment” of ICE to Vancouver related to the FIFA World Cup and request the Government of Canada to “reject any additional deployment” related to ICE for reasons that include avoiding any ICE-related protests, with this being deemed misleading by Montague and Klassen.
Fry later tried to clarify that he referred to the possibility that extra ICE resources could be deployed to Vancouver during the tournament in addition to ICE’s existing permanent presence at the U.S. Consulate General’s office in downtown Vancouver.
“It is an additional enforcement consideration, not the current administrative function of ICE in the city of Vancouver,” said Fry.
OneCity city councillor Lucy Maloney asserted that “there’s a lot of fear that a last-minute decision might be made” to deploy ICE to Vancouver.
Montague then quickly quipped that “any fear that may be out there is created by this motion.”
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