Concacaf in 'close communication' with LA authorities over Gold Cup
Concacaf says it "remains in close and ongoing communication with local authorities, host venues, and the participating national teams regarding the evolving situation" in Los Angeles before the opening match of the Gold Cup in the city on Saturday.The governing body for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean is preparing for Mexico versus Dominican Republic at the SoFi Stadium.LA has seen a fifth day of protests and hundreds of arrests over US President Donald Trump's immigration raids.On Sunday, the city is also due to host the first of the six Club World Cup matches to be played at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena over the next fortnight, with Paris St-Germain facing Atletico Madrid.Fans association Football Supporters Europe (FSE) told BBC Sport it is "deeply concerned".Concacaf said: "The safety and wellbeing of all participants, fans, and stakeholders is the Confederation's highest priority."We will continue to actively monitor developments as we work towards delivering a world-class tournament that highlights the best of our sport in a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable environment for all."The Mexico team has already changed its hotel in LA because of safety concerns amid the disturbances, according to the Associated Press.LA mayor Karen Bass declared an overnight curfew within a relatively small area of the city's downtown district, saying businesses were being vandalised and looted.
Meanwhile, the immigration raids that triggered the protests last Friday have continued, with deployed National Guard troops now protecting border control agents on enforcement operations.An overnight curfew is in force after violence in downtown LA. Elsewhere, much of the protest activity has been peaceful. Demonstrations have been confined to relatively small pockets of LA, while also spreading to other US cities.Trump's row with state officials ramped up after he deployed troops to LA. The president has now vowed to "liberate" the city, but has been accused by California Governor Gavin Newsom of an "assault" on democracy.On Tuesday, Trump defended his decision to send 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, saying it was to prevent the city being "conquered by a foreign enemy".However, European fans group FSE said: "The current policing approach in the US is wholly unfit for international sporting events. "The continued use of excessive force against peaceful protestors is especially alarming. Fifa must act now. "It has a responsibility to use its influence to ensure that the human rights and civil liberties of all attending fans are protected and respected."It also criticised Trump's immigration policies, claiming they "pose a direct threat to the safety and wellbeing of visiting fans". As well as PSG and Atletico Madrid, LA is due to host Inter Milan, who play Mexican team CF Monterrey at the Rose Bowl next week.Last week Trump announced a travel ban which places full restrictions on citizens of 12 countries entering the United States, as well as partial constraints on seven others as part of an immigration crackdown he says is needed over security threats. The order contains an exemption for participants in major sports events such as the 2026 Fifa World Cup and 2028 LA Games. However, it is not clear if the Gold Cup and Club World Cup are covered by the exemption.Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, said: "If sport governing bodies turn a blind eye to the escalating rights violations in the US, sporting events risk not only reflecting those abuses - but actively deepening them."In LA, where major football matches are about to take place, protesters are being criminalised, journalists unlawfully targeted, and immigrant communities subjected to enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention."It is the duty of sporting event organisers to conduct thorough and ongoing human rights risk assessments and take immediate, concrete action to ensure that human rights won't be sacrificed for the sake of the game."Fifa, Concacaf and the LA authorities have been approached for comment.
Why are people protesting in LA?
The demonstrations began on Friday after it emerged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were carrying out raids in areas of the city with prominent Latino populations.Raids have stepped up after Trump returned to the White House and pledged to crack down on illegal immigration.The BBC's US partner, CBS News, reported that recent operations took place in the Westlake district as well as in Paramount, south of LA - where the population is more than 82% Hispanic.There were also reports of an ICE raid at a Home Depot shop in Paramount, which officials told the BBC were false.ICE later told CBS that 44 unauthorised immigrants were arrested in a single operation at a job site on Friday. Another 77 were also arrested in the greater LA area on the same day.
Where are the protests in LA, and what's happened?
The protests have been limited to certain areas of the city.Downtown LA has been declared an "unlawful assembly" area by police, and the mayor has imposed an overnight curfew in a zone of about one square kilometre after days of clashes.In this area, protesters have been accused of attacking or looting buildings, setting cars on fire and blocking roads. Law enforcement officers in riot gear have responded with flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets and other non-lethal tactics.The downtown Federal Building has been a particular flashpoint after it emerged that ICE detainees were allegedly being held there. ICE accused "over 1,000 rioters" of surrounding and attacking the building on Saturday.A Home Depot shop in Paramount, roughly 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown LA, has been another site of confrontation between authorities and protesters.Across the city, at least 338 people have been arrested since Friday, according to the latest figures provided by the city's police chief, Jim McDonnell, on Tuesday evening.There have been no deaths reported in the city linked to the protests.
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