"Amid World Cup, activists demand human, civil rights protections at LA megaevents", 07 July 2026

...Organizers of Los Angeles’ major sporting events are failing to protect workers and vulnerable communities from ICE raids, human trafficking, wage theft and other abuses, labor advocates said Thursday as they chanted “don’t let ICE kidnap people” at the headquarters of LA’s World Cup host committee...

“These events bring in billions in profit for sport governing bodies like FIFA, corporate sponsors, and related industries, including hotels, tourism companies, and vendors, often without adequate protections for the workers and communities that make them possible”...

Local advocates said stronger human rights protection plans — and the funding to implement them — at LA’s World Cup and Olympics events have been an afterthought for the city’s megaevent organizers. Their demands have come as the Trump administration steps up federal law enforcement presence at sporting events...

“FIFA’s 2026 human rights plan falls far short of what workers and communities deserve,” Bustos said. “Mega-events of this scale carry real risks for labor trafficking, wage theft, and exploitation, but the current framework lacks the funding, transparency, and accountability needed to prevent harm”...

Neither LASEC nor FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, responded to LA Public Press emails requesting comment on the coalition’s demands for comprehensive plans for development and implementation of human and civil rights plans. 

LA Public Press also asked FIFA and LASEC for comment on the coalition’s request that before sporting events begin, officials engage labor unions, immigrant rights groups and service providers to develop human rights plans. 

In an email to LA Public Press, a LASEC spokesperson didn’t answer questions but shared a previously published statement announcing the 211LA campaign, the centerpiece of its plan to address any human rights concerns during the World Cup...