No US immigration agents at Super Bowl: security chief

NFL security chief Cathy Lanier said Tuesday that officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would have no role at this weekend's Super Bowl in California.

Recent US media reports have said ICE officials were expected to be on duty at Sunday's showpiece at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, the home of the San Francisco 49ers.

However, speaking at a security briefing on Tuesday, Lanier ruled out ICE agents being part of the security plan for the game. 

"There are no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations that are scheduled around the Super Bowl or any of the Super Bowl related events for fans attending the Super Bowl during this week," Lanier said.

Lanier said security plans for Sunday's game -- the biggest annual event in the US sporting calendar -- would be consistent with past Super Bowls, adding that there were "no known, specific or credible threats" to the game.

Heavily armed and masked agents from ICE have been deployed in multiple US cities as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

Public anger has flared following the killing of two US citizens by federal agents last month in Minneapolis during a large-scale deployment by the Trump administration.

More from this section

UK police launching criminal probe into ex-envoy Mandelson

Level playing field? Tech at forefront of US immigration fight

Brother of US woman killed in Minneapolis criticizes lack of reform

Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Kristi Noem, said last year immigration personnel would be deployed at the Super Bowl.

"There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally, not the Super Bowl, and nowhere else," Lewandowski said. 

"We will find you, we will apprehend you, we will put you in a detention facility and we will deport you."

Lanier however reiterated that ICE would not be involved, stressing the NFL's decades-long partnership with the DHS.

"There's no planned ICE enforcement activities," she said. "We are confident of that. 

"Our Department of Homeland Security, who's been our partner for more than 20 years now, is made up of more than 20 different departments and will send a variety of different agencies. That does not include ICE. There is not ICE deployed with us at this Super Bowl, and I don't believe there has been in the last several."

rcw/pb