An online campaign is urging the National Football League (NFL) to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations during the 2026 Super Bowl.
The “NFL: No ICE at the 2026 Super Bowl” petition, launched by Move On, cites concerns about ICE’s presence at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is concerning, following the ICE raid at an apartment building in Chicago in December 2025.
So far, the petition has received more than 169,100 of the required 200,000 signatures.
According to the petition, more than 300 ICE agents descended from helicopters, deployed flash-bang devices inside apartments, detained children, and made arrests without warrants.
“More than 100,000 people attend the Super Bowl, and the event is supposed to be a celebration of football and its fans, powered by thousands of workers who make it possible,” the petition by Move On said.
The petition argues that the game should not be “marked by Trump’s mass chaos, trauma, and detention.”
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Attend Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium® ➡️ https://t.co/dh2NYu7XSD pic.twitter.com/cbj2fLgRSj
— Levi’s® Stadium (@LevisStadium) January 14, 2026
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that federal agents will be deployed in Santa Clara during the Super Bowl on February 8, 2026, according to a report by San José Spotlight.
In a statement to San José Spotlight, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said the agency will be “working with local and federal partners” to ensure public safety, as it does for major sporting events.
Assuring that legal and law-abiding citizens “have nothing to fear,” McLaughlin said, “We will not disclose future operations or discuss personnel.”
According to San Jose Spotlight, San Jose Councilmember Peter Ortiz said an internal DHS memo indicates ICE agents are scheduled to arrive at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View on February 6, 2026.
The confirmation of ICE’s presence also follows public criticism from President Donald Trump regarding the Super Bowl’s halftime and opening performers. Announcing that he would skip this year’s Super Bowl, Trump told The Post that he couldn’t “stand” the performers.
Grammy Award-winning Latin rap artist Bad Bunny will be performing at the halftime show, while Green Day will kick off the game with an opening ceremony. Born in Puerto Rico and enjoying immense popularity among Spanish-speaking people, Bad Bunny has openly voiced his criticisms against Trump, including imitating the president’s voice in a song released in 2025, according to The New York Post report.
El 8 de febrero, el mundo bailará.#AppleMusicHalftime #SBLX pic.twitter.com/JD4jDVQCvw
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) January 16, 2026
Bad Bunny has also criticized President Trump’s immigration policies, and in 2024, he spoke out against a speaker at the president’s rally when he called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” Move On said in its online petition.
Earlier this month, Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong voiced support for anti-deportation protesters in Minnesota, distancing himself from the MAGA movement.
“I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” President Trump told The Post.
The president, however, clarified that he wasn’t skipping the game due to the performers, and said, “It’s just too far away.”
The presence of ICE at the Super Bowl comes among heightened federal activity across the U.S., particularly in California.
In a statement on January 28, DHS announced that ICE arrested several “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens”, including “violent criminal illegal aliens who raped children.” The arrests included two individuals from California.
California is yet to issue any official statement on the arrests.
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