Administration

Mullin says DHS not ‘as proactive’ to secure World Cup due to shutdown

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by Ryan Mancini - 05/09/26 4:16 PM ET

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by Ryan Mancini - 05/09/26 4:16 PM ET

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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Saturday said that his department’s preparation efforts to keep the upcoming World Cup secure have not been “as proactive” due to the 76-day funding lapse.

Mullin said during a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press conference in Kansas City, Mo., alongside Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.), that the department “can still deliver” in providing security to the World Cup next month. But the shutdown put DHS’s position to keep the games secure “in jeopardy,” he said.

Kansas City will host six World Cup matches between June 16 and July 11.

“We haven’t been able to be as proactive on putting those positions –– those safety measures in place, and the first match is June 11,” Mullin said. “The first one in the U.S. is in L.A., June 12. That is around the corner. We have so much work to do.”

The secretary said planning and contracts to provide housing for DHS officers “takes months.” He accused Democrats of putting “this process in jeopardy and really put the 600,000 people who are going to be at these matches over a period of 30 or 35 days –– put their safety in jeopardy.”

“And that’s what disgusts me,” he added.

Mullin blasted Democrats over the shutdown, saying that they could have made changes to DHS when they controlled Congress under the Biden administration. He added that Democrats “could have changed it if they wanted to” before accusing Democratic leadership of wanting “open borders.”

Mullin said that the U.S. would be in “horrible shape” without DHS officers continuing to work despite not receiving paychecks due to the shutdown.

Alford said that “robust immigration enforcement is not a political issue” but a “national security imperative.”

“So now is the time for the House and Senate Republicans to unite with the Trump administration to pass a multi-year funding through reconciliation, and give ICE, give [Customs and Border Protection] the certainty, the resources that they need to protect our nation, to protect everyone in this room, and to protect everyone watching right now,” he said.

Other DHS officials previously said that security preparations ahead of the World Cup were afflicted by the funding lapse. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said that the resignations of hundreds of TSA officers would have “dire” consequences in preparing for the World Cup.

“At this point, newly hired officers will not be able to work on the checkpoint until well after the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” McNeill said in her testimony to the House Homeland Security Committee in March.

Human rights groups have also warned foreign visitors to the U.S. that they should be cautious if attending any of the World Cup games.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Amnesty International, along with 120 other organizations, last month warned “fans, players, journalists and other visitors … could be at risk of serious violations as the Trump administration doubles down on its draconian immigration and anti-human rights agenda.”

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