Trump official confirms ICE presence at Super Bowl LX: ‘Our mission remains unchanged’

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA: Federal immigration agents will be part of the security footprint at Super Bowl LX, with the Department of Homeland Security confirming that ICE enforcement operations are planned around the February 8 game in Santa Clara, California.

DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin Yoho told TMZ Sports that the agency is treating the Super Bowl like any other massive global event on its calendar.

ICE enforcement planned around Super Bowl LX

“DHS is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup,” McLaughlin Yoho said. “Our mission remains unchanged.”

That means ICE agents will have a visible presence in and around Levi’s Stadium ahead of the matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, the winners of their respective conferences following Sunday’s contests.

As usual, the Super Bowl will bring tens of thousands of fans and a full-scale law enforcement presence at every level.

The decision to keep enforcement active during the Super Bowl is not new. In October, DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski made clear that there would be no pause for the NFL’s biggest night, calling it a direct order from the White House.

“There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally,” Lewandowski said on 'The Benny Show' podcast. “Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find and deport you. That is a very real situation.” Lewandowski added that enforcement is a “directive from the president.”

The comments came as President Donald Trump took a public swipe at this year’s Super Bowl festivities, saying he plans to boycott the game while criticizing the entertainment lineup that includes Bad Bunny and Green Day.

Trump slams Bad Bunny ahead of Super Bowl

Donald Trump attended last year’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans but said Santa Clara is a bridge too far.

“It’s just too far away,” Trump told the New York Post. “I would, I’ve [gotten] great hands [at] the Super Bowl. They like me. I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”

The president has been especially vocal about Bad Bunny since the artist was tapped to perform at the Super Bowl.

Trump told Newsmax, “I don’t know who he is,” despite the artist’s global popularity. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Green Day was selected last week to play before kickoff at Levi’s Stadium. Both Green Day and Bad Bunny have been outspoken critics of Trump.

Bad Bunny, a Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has previously spoken about his fears surrounding ICE, saying it factored into his decision to do a residency in Puerto Rico rather than tour the mainland United States.

“But there was the issue of, like, f*cking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” the 31-year-old told i-D.

Roger Goodell defends Bad Bunny, DHS outlines Super Bowl security

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the backlash over Bad Bunny during the league’s annual Fall League Meeting in October 2025.

“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell said of the halftime show selection process. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching.”

“[Bad Bunny] is one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell added. “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value.”

As always, the Super Bowl will involve extensive coordination between federal, state, and local authorities.

“Super Bowl security will entail a whole-of-government response conducted in line with the US Constitution,” McLaughlin Yoho said. “Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear,” she added.