Congressional leaders call for streamlined visa process ahead of World Cup, L.A. Olympics
A bipartisan group of Congressional representatives are calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to streamline the government's visa processing system to ensure visitors from abroad will be able to attend next year's FIFA World Cup as well as the 2026 Los Angeles Olympics.
The World Cup, which kicks off in less than 400 days, is expected to generate $3.75 billion in economic activity in the U.S. With SoFi Stadium in Inglewood hosting eight games, the economic impact on Southern California is estimated at nearly $600 million.
But cost-cutting measures proposed by Rubio could threaten that by reducing staff and closing some embassies and consulates, increasing visa wait times and making an already cumbersome system more complicated and costly. That could keep tens of thousands of fans at home.
Even without the changes, six countries have at least one U.S. diplomatic post with visa wait times that extend beyond the start of the World Cup.
Rubio is scheduled to appear Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee where he will be asked about the visa process, said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles). Kamlager-Dove, a member of that committee and a proponent of sports diplomacy, laid out her concerns and those of her colleagues in two-page letter addressed to Rubio and signed by 49 representatives, including Rep. Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills), the first Republican to sign on; Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee; and Ted Lieu (D-Manhattan Beach), a member of Democratic House leadership.
'I'm hoping to get some answers and some solutions,' said Kamlager-Dove, whose sprawling districts ranges from the border with Beverly Hills to South Los Angeles. 'This is a real problem because it impacts attendance and it impacts economic activity.'
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, with a record 48 countries participating. It will also be the first World Cup played in three countries, with Mexico and Canada sharing host duties with the U.S. However the vast majority of the games — 78 of 104 — will be played in 11 U.S. cities between June 11 and July 19, 2026.
'The economic stakes of these games and significant for red and blue districts nationwide, as is the diplomatic and soft-power opportunity of being at the center of the international sports universe,' Kamlager-Dove wrote in her letter. 'However the success of these games hinges on the State Department's ability to efficiently process the visa applications of spectators, athletes and media.'
Kamlager-Dove believes the opportunity is too important to be sacrificed to politics.
'The United States has an obligation to put its best foot forward as the host of these games,' she said. 'Sports diplomacy is an important tool for us as we continue to talk about peace and cooperation. It's also so important as we recognize all of the different ethnic communities that help make up the United States and want to root for their home team.
'And so you want restaurants to be full, clubs and bars to be full, hotels to be full.'
Earlier this month President Trump held the first meeting of a White House task force charged with overseeing what the president called 'the biggest, safest and most extraordinary soccer tournament in history.' But the administration has sent mixed signals over exactly how welcoming it intends to be.
At that meeting attended by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Vice President JD Vance — co-chair of the task force — said the U.S. wants foreign visitors 'to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games. But when the time is up we want them to go home, otherwise they will have to talk to Secretary Noem.' He referred to Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency has detained and interrogated visa holders at U.S. points of entry.
'It is up to [Rubio] to square that circle for us when he comes to our committee,' Kamlager-Dove said. 'The good news is you have Republicans and Democrats asking these questions. These games are non-partisan. And I believe that these are practical, logistical, solvable log jams that deserve a solution.
'Staff the State Department to focus on them. Accelerate and streamline these processes and prioritize diplomacy. Because the games are diplomatic.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
39 minutes ago
- New York Post
US men's soccer team hears boos after ugly loss to Switzerland
It was an American horror story of epic proportions for the U.S. Men's National Team on Tuesday night in their Gold Cup send-off match, as the club was booed off the field in Nashville, Tenn., during their 4-0 loss to Switzerland. The Americans didn't field their best lineup, but the ugly showing right before a major international tournament had U.S. soccer fans upset as the club walked off the field at halftime down by four goals and then again when the final whistle blew at the end of the match. The displeasure was audible on the TNT broadcast of the friendly match, and by the end, with large swaths of the 30,000-seat capacity Geodis Park visibly empty, it was apparent how upset U.S. soccer fans were. The loss was the fourth straight for the USMNT and put them on their longest losing streak since 2007. And to make matters worse, the four goals conceded in the first half were the most they've given up in more than 40 years. Switzerland's captain Granit Xhaka (10) brings the ball up field during his team's 4-0 blowout win over the U.S. men's soccer national team on June 10, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 'The first half was not good enough by any of our standards,' center back Walker Zimmerman told TNT Sports following the match. 'That's the disappointing thing, is we talked a lot about how we could compete, how we can believe in each other, how we can keep pushing. Take pride and we just fell short on all those aspects in the first half.' He added: 'It's disappointing, but at the same time, we know that we have a tournament ahead of us where these games are going to be coming quick and fast and our only option is to build on those.' The loss was another knock against the American squad that is facing plenty of challenges going into the Gold Cup tournament, and is a year away from the start of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in North America. The USMNT has gone 5-5 since new head coach Mauricio Pochettino took over in September of last year, and he'll face plenty of questions if the United States doesn't come together during the Gold Cup.
an hour ago
Trump's actions in Los Angeles spur debate over deportation funds in his 'big, beautiful' bill
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' in Congress includes more than tax breaks and spending cuts — it also seeks to pour billions of dollars into the administration's mass deportation agenda. Republican leaders capitalized Tuesday on the demonstrations in Los Angeles, where people are protesting Trump's immigration raids at Home Depot and other places, to make the case for swift passage of their sprawling 1,000-plus-page bill over staunch Democratic opposition. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act delivers 'much-needed reinforcements,' including 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, $45 billion to expand migrant detention facilities and billions more to carry out at least 1 million deportations a year. 'All you have to do is look at what's happening in Los Angeles to realize that our law enforcement needs all the support that we can possibly give them,' said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. The focus on some $350 billion in national security funding comes as action on the massive package is lumbering along in Congress at a critical moment. Trump wants the bill on his desk by the Fourth of July. But Senate Republicans trying to heave it to passage without Democrats are also running up against objections from within their GOP ranks over the details. At the same time, Democrats are warning that Trump's executive reach into California — sending in the National Guard over the governor's objections and calling up the Marines — is inflaming tensions in what had been isolated protests in pockets of LA. They warned the president's heavy-handed approach has the potential to spread, if unchecked, to other communities nationwide. 'We are at a dangerous inflection point in our country,' said Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who represents the Los Angeles area. 'Trump created this political distraction to divide us and keep our focus away from his policies that are wreaking havoc on our economy and hurting working families," he said. "It's a deliberate attempt by Trump to incite unrest, test the limits of executive power and distract from the lawlessness of his administration.' At its core, the bill extends some $4.5 trillion in existing tax breaks that would otherwise expire at the end of the year without action in Congress, cutting some $1.4 trillion in spending over the decade to help offset costs. The Congressional Budget Office found the bill's changes to Medicaid and other programs would leave an estimated 10.9 million more people without health insurance and at least 3 million each month without food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. At the same time, CBO said the package will add some $2.4 trillion to deficits over the decade. One emerging area of concern for Republican leaders has been the bill's status before the Senate parliamentarian's office, which assesses whether the package complies with the strict rules used for legislation under the so-called budget reconciliation process. Late Monday, Republicans acknowledged potential 'red flags' coming from the parliamentarian's office that will require changes in the House bill before it can be sent to the Senate. Leaders are using the reconciliation process because it allows for simple majority passage in both chambers, were GOP majorities are razor-thin. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Republicans are preparing to address the concerns with a vote in the House, possibly as soon as this week, to change the package. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer seized on the House's upcoming do-over vote as a chance for Republicans who are dissatisfied with the package to reassert their leverage and 'force the bill back to the drawing board.' 'They say they don't like parts of the bill — now is their opportunity to change it,' Schumer said. On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance was dispatched to speak with one GOP holdout, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who has pushed for deeper spending reductions in the bill to prevent skyrocketing deficits from adding to the nation's $36 trillion debt load. Other Republican senators have raised concerns about the health care cuts. But Republicans are in agreement on border security, deportation and military funding, over the objections of Democrats who fought vigorously during the committee process to strip those provisions from the bill. The package includes about $150 billion for border security and deportation operations, including funding for hiring 10,000 new ICE officers — with what Johnson said are $10,000 hiring bonuses — as well as 3,000 new Border Patrol agents and other field operations and support staff. There's also funding for a daily detention capacity for 100,000 migrants and for flights for 1 million deportations annually. The package includes $46 billion for construction of Trump's long promised wall between the U.S.-Mexico border. Additionally, the bill includes $150 billion for the Pentagon, with $5 billion for the military deployment in support of border security, along with nearly $25 billion for Trump's 'Golden Dome' defense system over the U.S. Separately, the bill adds another $21 billion for the Coast Guard. Democrats have argued against the deportations, and warned that Trump appears to be stirring up protests so he can clamp down on migrant communities. Rep. Nanette Barragan — whose district represents the suburban city of Paramount, where the weekend Home Depot raid touched off protests — implored Americans: 'Listen to the words of this administration: They're using words like insurrection. They're using words like invasion.' She warned the administration is laying the groundwork for even steeper actions. 'That's a concern,' she said. 'That is dangerous. It's wrong.'
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom Compares Donald Trump to Emperor Palpatine
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office shared a meme portraying President Donald Trump as Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine. In the video, Palpatine's voice reads out a Truth Social post by Trump talking about the riots in Los Angeles. The Democratic governor and Republican president have clashed over the latter's decision to send in National Guard troops and Marines to quell the disorder that erupted from protests against federal immigration raids in Los Angeles. A ONCE GREAT AMERICAN CITY HAS BEEN OCCUPIED! — Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) June 10, 2025 This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
