A cohort of Latino civil-rights and labor groups is warning foreign visitors thinking about visiting Texas for the upcoming World Cup to scrap those plans due to the White House’s immigration crackdown and the state’s willing participation.
“You cannot market Texas as a welcoming global destination for the World Cup while expanding policies that increase fear, racial profiling, and aggressive immigration enforcement,” Dallas-based immigrant rights organization El Movimiento DFW said in a joint press release.
The press statement cited Texas’ Senate Bill 4, often referred to as the “Show Me Your Paper Law,” as one of the signals the state isn’t friendly to foreign travelers. Although now on hold due to a federal court ruling, the proposal empowered Texas authorities to enforce immigration law without federal oversight.
The civil-rights groups also cited ongoing cooperation between Dallas and Houston police departments and ICE as reasons why foreign visitors should avoid the Lone Star State.
“While the state’s ‘Show Me Your Papers’ law is temporarily blocked and not in effect as of today, families across Texas endure uncertainty and unaffordable prices while the state props up ICE to terrorize communities of all kinds,” said Dayana Iza, Texas state director of civic-engagement nonprofit Mi Familia Vota.
Indeed, foreigners appear to agree that the warnings aren’t exaggerated.
In March, FIFA lifted hotel block reservations in Dallas and Houston, both of which are slated to host several World Cup matches during this year’s tournament. Even so, 70% of hotel operators surveyed in Dallas and Houston this month reported no significant bump in bookings compared to a normal summer season.
The advocacy groups behind Tuesday’s statement are encouraging foreigners who do decide to travel to Texas for the World Cup to take increased safety precautions, including carrying a valid government-issued ID at all times, securing emergency legal contacts, sharing plans with an emergency contact and knowing how to respond to enforcement encounters.
“Texas is not a safe space for anyone who may encounter ICE,” Workers Defense Action Fund Executive Director Lizeth Chacon said in a statement. “The lax polices in which agents can detain or hold anyone at their discretion have drastically increased the likelihood of racial profiling, inhumane detention, and deportation.”
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