The NFL’s chief security officer said Tuesday she is confident U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no plans to conduct operations before or during Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium.
“We are confident of that,” Cathy Lanier said at the NFL’s Super Bowl security and public safety briefing, adding there are no known credible threats connected to the game or its surrounding events. She said ICE is not part of the Super Bowl security operation and has not been in recent years.
“There is no ICE deployed with us at the Super Bowl,” Lanier said. “But we do have extensive coordination with other agencies, from the Coast Guard to a wide range of federal, state and local partners.”
According to a report by The Athletic, the Bay Area Host Committee previously circulated a memo to officials in Santa Clara, San Jose and San Francisco outlining Super Bowl security plans and addressing questions about potential ICE activity.
Lanier said any ICE presence related to the Super Bowl would be consistent with security arrangements at past Super Bowls and other major international sporting events, where agencies maintain clearly defined roles.
Lanier and Jeffrey Brannigan, a federal coordinator and special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, were asked whether they could commit to there being no ICE enforcement operations around Levi’s Stadium on game day.
“Everybody has specific roles they are assigned to,” Lanier said. “There are no ICE agents assigned as part of our security team here. Everyone is focused on their mission, and that work is already underway.”
Concerns about potential ICE activity around the Super Bowl intensified following the announcement in September that Bad Bunny will perform at the halftime show. President Donald Trump criticized the choice in an interview with Newsmax, though the NFL reaffirmed its decision.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been openly critical of ICE enforcement actions and has previously excluded U.S. dates from his touring schedule. The Puerto Rican artist, who primarily records in Spanish, won three Grammy Awards on Sunday, including album of the year.
