Amnesty International and dozens of U.S. civil and human rights groups issued a "World Cup travel advisory" Thursday, warning tournament visitors of "rising authoritarianism and increasing violence" in the United States during President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement.
The groups said the advisory was necessary "in light of the deteriorating human rights situation in the United States and in the absence of meaningful action and concrete guarantees from FIFA, host cities, or the U.S. government."
The advisory says visitors may be arbitrarily denied entry to the country, detained in "inhumane" conditions or subjected to invasive phone and social media searches. It points to the aggressive immigration surges in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis that led to accusations of racial profiling and the violent suppression of protests.
The message was condemned by tourism officials, who said the groups were threatening the livelihoods of service industry workers in an attempt to achieve their political goals.
Geoff Freeman, president & CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said there are legitimate concerns about U.S. entry policies but they're being blown out of proportion. There were 67 million international travelers to the United States last year, he said in a statement.
"The notion that visiting America poses a meaningful safety risk is not a good-faith warning, it's a political tactic designed to cause economic harm," Freeman said.
A FIFA spokesperson pointed to several statements and policies, including the federation's governing documents, which say, "FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights."
The U.S. has seen a decline in international travelers since Trump returned to the White House last year and offended U.S. allies with talk of making Canada a U.S. state, taking control of Greenland and questioning the value of NATO.
The tourism industry is counting on a major boost from World Cup visitors, even as Trump's travel ban for citizens of 19 countries has injected further uncertainty.
The hopes for an economic windfall in the U.S. during the World Cup comes amid the backdrop of sky-high ticket prices for games and reports from hotel operators saying they have yet to see surges in occupancy rates during the months the tournament will be held.
The administration is betting that its push to expedite visa processing for visitors and excitement about the tournament will outweigh concerns that Trump's immigration messaging undercuts the theme of global unity that the World Cup is meant to represent.
The tournament kicks off June 11 with games spread across North America, including 11 stadiums in the U.S. along with two in Canada and three in Mexico.
