Los Angeles will keep inviting international visitors for the FIFA World Cup matches slated in the city this June and July, Mayor Karen Bass said, while pressing the federal government to amplify that reassurance.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday showcasing the city’s community and fan engagement plans for the tournament, Bass said she planned to tell potential travelers that Los Angeles welcomes them. She added, however, that such reassurances must also come from the White House.
"I am sure (Trump) is not going to interfere with that but I do think that message has to come from the White House as well," Bass said at the event. "They are the ones that need to send that message. I will send the message that people are welcome to the city of Los Angeles."
The mayor's comments arrive amid broader concerns that heightened attention to U.S. immigration enforcement could dissuade some international fans from attending a tournament that the United States will co-host with Canada and Mexico. Organizers have planned eight matches in Los Angeles during the June-July schedule.
At the same time, national political dynamics are in play. The Trump administration's policies - described by critics as tariff-heavy trade measures, travel bans on certain countries and public discussion of acquiring Greenland - have strained international relations, according to observers. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Mayor Bass's call for an explicit federal welcome.
President Donald Trump has expressed strong support for the World Cup. He was awarded FIFA's inaugural peace prize at the World Cup draw in Washington last month, and FIFA has reported record ticket demand from around the globe.
"For the fans, I have only one piece of advice: stay away from the United States!" former FIFA president Sepp Blatter wrote on X, urging a boycott.
Those mixed signals - strong ticket demand on the one hand and calls for a boycott on the other - add to uncertainty for local planners and the hospitality sector.
Bass also voiced alarm about a recent Department of Homeland Security announcement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel will assist in protecting U.S. delegations at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy, a deployment that has produced political controversy domestically.
"I think it's very frightening. I think that it sends a very scary message to the world," Bass said of the ICE deployment. The comments follow intense criticism of ICE and Border Patrol officers after two separate incidents in Minnesota this month in which agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens.
Local officials in Los Angeles are preparing messaging and engagement plans aimed at fans and communities, while noting that federal leaders also play a role in shaping international perceptions that could influence travel decisions, event attendance and related economic activity in tourism and hospitality.
Context note: The statements above reflect public remarks by the mayor and related developments announced by federal agencies and other public figures.