Congress suspends immigration enforcement on transit during 2026 World Cup
H.R. 7988 — Safe Passage to the World Cup Act · Filed by Eric Swalwell (D-CA) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 18, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice from using federal funds for civil immigration enforcement on public transit or at transit hubs in U.S. cities hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches or fan festivals, from June 11 through July 19, 2026. The ban does not apply in genuine emergencies (imminent violence, terrorism, national security threats, or hot pursuit of dangerous suspects). The intent is to allow World Cup visitors and attendees to move freely without fear of immigration enforcement during the tournament.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a time-limited, geographically bounded prohibition on civil immigration enforcement funding during a specific international sporting event. It is a narrow, event-specific policy, not a broad immigration reform or enforcement change.
What the text implies
- The bill applies only to civil immigration enforcement, not criminal immigration prosecution—agents can still pursue individuals for immigration crimes (smuggling, document fraud, etc.) during the window.
- The 'exigent circumstances' carve-out is broad enough to permit enforcement in response to any imminent violence or national security concern, potentially allowing selective enforcement if circumstances are interpreted expansively.
- The bill does not restrict state or local law enforcement immigration activities, only federal DHS/DOJ funding—state/local agencies operating independently are unaffected.
- The geographic scope is limited to metropolitan statistical areas hosting World Cup events; enforcement continues normally in all other U.S. locations during the same period.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill protects freedom of movement for all transit users—citizens, legal residents, and undocumented immigrants—during a major international event by suspending civil immigration enforcement in a specific time and place. The carve-out for genuine emergencies (violence, terrorism, national security, hot pursuit) preserves public safety. The net effect is reduced government intrusion into ordinary transit use during the tournament.
Named in the bill
Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), 2026 FIFA World Cup, Immigration and Nationality Act, Homeland Security Act of 2002
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 (1,416 characters) on Aug 14, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 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 2026-10-20.
“Congress suspends immigration enforcement on transit during 2026 World Cup” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr7988 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.