The new Homeland Security chief has warned World Cup safety measures are “in jeopardy” after a months-long funding delay held up preparations for the global event.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who replaced Kristi Noem in March, made the remarks in Kansas City, Missouri, Saturday as he asked Congress to pass funding for ICE and Border Patrol to shore up security at the World Cup.
“It put our mission in jeopardy,” Mullin told reporters. “Now, can we still deliver? Yes. Can we be as proactive [as we could have been]? No… We haven’t been able to be as proactive on putting those positions, those safety measures in place, and the first match is June 11.”
Kansas City is one of the United States’ 11 host cities for the North America World Cup which begins in a matter of weeks and will see millions of soccer fans attend games across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Security will be heightened at airports and stadiums across the country with law enforcement agencies including DHS and the FBI coordinating to identify potential risks such as terrorist attacks.
Former acting ICE chief Todd Lyons had previously suggested that ICE would be a “key part” of World Cup security, prompting fears after agents’ aggressive actions against immigrants across the U.S. in Trump’s second term.
Miami’s mayor assured city residents this past week that he’d been promised by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Florida’s former senator, that ICE would not be deployed to games in Miami. It is unclear whether ICE will be present at games in other cities.
Mullin also said Saturday that the congressional funding freeze affected local law enforcement agencies, which he said went months without being able to be reimbursed by DHS for efforts to prepare for World Cup games.
The DHS chief’s warnings about World Cup security were spelled out in more detail in a recent blog post on trade publication Homeland Security Today. The secretary warned that lingering staffing shortages at TSA brought on by the shutdown are expected to last through the summer.
“While the passage of a funding bill brings immediate relief, the effects of the shutdown continue to impact key homeland security missions, including aviation security, disaster preparedness, and workforce stability,” read the post.
On Saturday, Mullin blamed Democrats for the Homeland Security funding holdup in Congress, accusing them of shifting goalposts and objectives.
Democrats had demanded a list of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid widespread anger over the killings of two Americans by ICE and DHS agents in Minneapolis earlier this year and the general chaos following President Donald Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration agenda.
“It’s the largest sporting event in the world, and leading up to it for 76 days, the Democrats want to shut us down,” Mullin, a Republican who formerly represented Oklahoma in the Senate, said.
He accused Democrats of having put “this process in jeopardy and really put the 600,000 people who are going to be at these matches [in Kansas City] over a period of 30 or 35 days, put their safety in jeopardy. And that’s what disgusts me.”
TSA and other agencies within DHS experienced significant staff losses as paychecks were halted during the record-breaking funding freeze.
Democrats eventually allowed funding for DHS minus ICE and Border Patrol to pass Congress. Republicans announced plans to fund those agencies through a process that would evade a congressional filibuster.
Trump signed a bill ending the DHS shutdown April 30, restoring funding to DHS and its sub-agencies including the Transportation Security Administration after 76 days.
Securing hosting rights for the World Cup is one of the president’s favorite boasts after Trump began publicly lobbying to host the tournament during his first term.
But he derided the high price of tickets to games earlier this week, telling the New York Post: “I did not know that number…I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you.”
Mullin replaced Noem in March after she was fired by Trump following a string of controversies.
She drew pushback over her handling of Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which led to the deaths of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whom she described without evidence as domestic terrorists. She then refused to walk back or apologize for the comments. Noem also drew criticism, from both Republicans and Democrats, with her purchase of multiple luxury jets, a $220 million ad campaign, gutting FEMA, and her rumored affair with top aide Corey Lewandowski.
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