Congress suspends immigration enforcement during World Cup—but only for 39 days.
H.R. 7982 — Protect World Cup Attendees Act · Filed by LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 18, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies receiving certain federal Homeland Security grants from conducting civil immigration enforcement activities during the 2026 FIFA World Cup (June 11–July 19, 2026), except in emergencies involving imminent death, violence, terrorism, national security threats, or hot pursuit of dangerous suspects. The restriction applies to participation in the federal 287(g) program and any other civil immigration enforcement under federal immigration law.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a time-limited suspension of civil immigration enforcement tied to a specific sporting event (2026 FIFA World Cup), not a permanent policy change or broad immigration reform. It is narrowly tailored to a 39-day window and a specific class of grant recipients.
What the text implies
- The bill creates a precedent for suspending immigration enforcement based on event scheduling rather than policy principle, potentially inviting similar requests for other major events (Olympics, Super Bowl, conventions).
- Federal grant recipients are prohibited from civil immigration enforcement, but the bill does not restrict ICE or other federal immigration agencies—enforcement gap may shift to federal actors or create coordination problems.
- The 'exigent circumstances' carve-out is broad enough to permit enforcement in most serious cases, potentially limiting the practical impact of the moratorium to lower-level civil immigration stops.
- The bill references reconciliation act funding (H. Con. Res. 14 / Public Law 119–21) without restating which grant programs are affected—the scope depends on external statutory text not quoted here.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill protects World Cup attendees and undocumented immigrants from immigration enforcement during the event, reducing fear and potential disruption to a major international gathering. However, it creates a narrow carve-out from immigration law enforcement for a specific 39-day window tied to a sporting event, raising questions about whether public safety and immigration enforcement should be suspended based on event scheduling rather than policy principle.
Named in the bill
State Homeland Security Grant Program, Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Immigration and Nationality Act, Homeland Security Act of 2002, H. Con. Res. 14, Public Law 119–21, 2026 FIFA World Cup, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 3 Democrats.
- Mar 18, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Mar 18, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,504 characters) on Sep 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,398 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-23.
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