Charlotte groups tell city to keep ICE out of USMNT soccer game in uptown
A coalition of local advocacy groups want Charlotte’s leaders to keep immigration agents away from a soccer match in uptown months after U.S. Border Patrol flooded the city.
The U.S. Men’s National Team is scheduled to play a friendly match against Senegal at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in cities across the country.
Action NC, Carolina Migrant Network, Jewish Voice for Peace CLT, Charlotte Metro Democratic Socialists of America and Charlotte Housing Justice Coalition want local government, FIFA and Tepper Sports “to ban immigration agents from the game.” The groups also want local law enforcement to commit to not working with immigration agents and for local government to create “immigration enforcement-free zones.”
The call comes months after Border Patrol conducted “Operation Charlotte’s Web” in the city in November. That operation led to hundreds of arrests as well as protests, business closures and a surge in school absences. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement arrests are also up in North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer reported previously.
Advocates say fears that ICE and Border Patrol could be in and around the stadium would keep people away from the game, reducing economic benefits from the event. They also cite reports that ICE may be involved in security for the World Cup, which will be held across North America later this summer.
“As a result of immigration officials terrorizing our community this past year, people are afraid to leave their homes and many local businesses lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales,” Action NC said in a statement. “Moments like the upcoming Allstate Continental Clásico have the potential to heal and reinvigorate our local economy. Immigration enforcement at the game will jeopardize any gains and only serve to further divide our community. Hate has no place in our city.”
Sunday’s match is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
