The director of ICE does not rule out anti-immigration raids during the World Cup matches

WashingtonThe heads of the main anti-immigration agencies leading the large-scale raids in Minnesota and other states appeared before Congress for the first time on Tuesday following the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Despite the symbolic de-escalation in Minneapolis with the withdrawal of some 700 agents (2,000 still remain), ICE Director Todd Lyons's responses to members of Congress point to how, deep down, the government remains entrenched in its campaign of terror. Lyons refused to apologize for the "domestic terrorism" accusations made by the White House against Good and Pretti, while also not ruling out the possibility of raids during the World Cup matches to be played this summer in the United States.

The fear of possible ICE raids in the context of the World Cup has long loomed over the sporting event, especially when there are matches involving Latin American national teams. Democrat Nellie Pou, representing New Jersey, asked Lyons if he could guarantee that the agency would carry out operations during the competitions. Lyons did not rule out raids and simply stated that ICE's work focuses on "the safety of all participants as well as visitors." MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is one of the venues that will host several games and the final.

Lyons, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Director Rodney Scott, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow have faced probing questions from Democratic lawmakers as negotiations continue against the clock to avert a government shutdown. Last week, Senate Democrats agreed to pass a budget extension to prevent a partial government shutdown in exchange for Republicans agreeing to renegotiate the code of conduct for ICE agents. Scenes of police brutality and the nationwide protests that preceded them have put pressure on Democratic representatives to take action. Among other demands, Democrats are urging Trump's lawmakers to require agents to stop wearing ski masks and go unmasked. If an agreement is not reached this Friday, February 13, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will shut down due to a lack of approved funding.

For now, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has made some concessions and has announced that federal agents deployed in Minnesota would begin wearing body camerasThis Tuesday, Lyons assured members of Congress that 3,000 officers are already wearing body cameras. The expectation is that eventually all officers will wear them.

Under the DHS organizational chart, in addition to all immigration agencies, are also the Transportation Security Administration and the Emergency Management Agency, which will also become inoperative if the budget is not approved. The problem for Democrats is that these two agencies would be the most impacted by the partial government shutdown, even more so than the immigration services. Both ICE and CBP already have the multi-billion dollar package that was approved last summer under the Big Beautiful Bill, which anticipates about $37.5 billion annually on average over the next four years.