US Customs and Border Protection

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law-enforcement agency in the United States, responsible for border security, customs regulation, and controlling entry at ports of entry. It operates under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and employs approximately 60,000 staff across land, air and sea borders. CBP has authority to admit, detain or refuse entry to any non-citizen arriving at a US port of entry, regardless of Visa status.

In January 2026, two CBP officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, a Veterans Affairs nurse, in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge protests following the ICE killing of Renée Good. Minnesota and Hennepin County subsequently sued the Trump administration for withholding evidence from the investigation. The Minneapolis deployment represented an expansion of CBP's traditional border mandate into interior enforcement, consistent with the broader 2025-2026 federal enforcement surge.

CBP's decisions at US ports of entry became a defining operational fault line for the 2026 World Cup. France's official travel advisory named Minneapolis by name, warning citizens to avoid the city centre due to enforcement-related unrest — the first advisory to single out a host city .

On 7 June 2026, CBP turned back Omar Artan at Miami International Airport despite his holding a valid US Visa. Artan was one of the 52 FIFA-appointed referees and the 2025 CAF Male Referee of the Year; Somalia sits on the Trump travel-ban list. FIFA issued its standard disclaimer that immigration decisions rest with the host government . The following day, CBP detained Iraq striker Aymen Hussein for approximately seven hours at Chicago O'Hare before releasing him; an Iraqi team photographer was barred from entry entirely . Iraq did not qualify for the 2026 finals; the detentions fell outside the tournament field yet within the same access-denial pattern.

By the week of the opening match, CBP's decisions had affected fans from over a dozen nations, a FIFA-appointed match official, and an active international player. The pattern established that accreditation by FIFA confers tournament credentials but no immigration standing at the US border.