A “travel alert” ahead of the FIFA World Cup has captured worldwide attention.
Issued by a coalition of human rights organizations, the alert warns “international travelers, tourists, and visitors of the potential dangers that exist in the United States, particularly in Florida, to their rights, liberty, and physical security” ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Florida will host seven matches at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens this summer, and the coalition urged people “to reconsider travel to the state.”
➤ Are Florida World Cup matches under a travel warning? 
 The warning is not an official travel alert, which are issued by the U.S. Department of State for travel outside of the United States.
But private organizations and civil rights groups can issue their own travel alerts or advisories to warn travelers about specific dangers they foresee, as was the case in this instance.
Here’s what you should know.
A Coalition of Human Rights Organizations issued a statewide travel alert for Florida ahead of the FIFA World Cup, warning of the “increased likelihood of racial profiling, unjust detention, and deportation of residents, visitors, and tourists.”
The alert was issued in response to what the groups called multiple cases of tourists and U.S. citizens being detained for immigration enforcement purposes. 
According to a news release, organizations making up the coalition that issued the travel alert include:
“Florida is no longer a safe destination for international tourists, said Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, in a news release.
“When federal and local agents can detain anyone at anytime without cause and without identifying themselves, everyone is at risk.
“International visitors must ask themselves if a soccer match is worth the risk of being kidnapped and jailed until God-knows-when, in deplorable conditions, by a secret police who is using racial profiling, judging people for how they look or their accent, and getting away with literal murder in the streets of our country.”
The coalition recommended travelers:
President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan said anyone in the country illegally is at risk for deportation.
A major campaign promise of Donald Trump was to take control of the massive numbers of people pouring into the United States without following immigration procedures, especially over the border with Mexico.
On his inauguration day, Jan. 20, 2025, Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border and said “it is necessary for the Armed Forces to take all appropriate action to assist the Department of Homeland Security in obtaining full operational control of the southern border.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been enforcing the law across the U.S., which has been met with reactions ranging from protests to appreciation.
Florida has some of the toughest immigration laws in the U.S. and has spent more than $573 million on immigration enforcement.
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an emergency declaration on immigration in early January 2023.
➤ Florida waits on $573 million for reimbursement of immigration costs
A total of 20,000 people living in Florida were detained and transferred to federal immigration custody in 2025, including Operation Tidal Wave, which DeSantis said marked “a significant milestone in Florida’s ongoing efforts to protect its citizens and support federal immigration enforcement.” 
It was conducted under a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and state and local law enforcement.
“Operation Tidal Wave is the first program of its kind in the nation,” DeSantis said.
It allowed Florida state agencies to work directly with ICE.
“Since the programs began in April 2025, state officers have been able to identify, detain, and process individuals in the country illegally, including those under final deportation orders and those with serious criminal convictions.
More than 10,400 “illegal aliens” were arrested to be removed from our state and country, DeSantis said.
There will be seven FIFA World Cup games played in Florida at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on the following dates:
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.

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