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Unity Undone

U.S. travel ban shuts out Haiti, Iran fans for tournament

By: Hanna Adely
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... When FIFA officials announced the names of 42 countries that would compet4e in the 2026 World Cup during a fanfar-filed ceremony last week, [12/03/2025] soccer fans around the globe celebrated.
..... But for fans of two qualifying teams - Hatti and Iran - the celebrations were bittersweet.
..... They described feeling pride and joy for the countries where they have roots.
..... But a U.S. travel ban on Haiti and Iran has cast a shadow over the event, they said, keeping out many fans and politicizing what is supposed to be a show of global unity.
..... For Bergson Leneus, the initial feeling after hearing that Haiti had qualified to compete, for the first time since 1974, was elation.
..... "The entire disapora is talking about it," said Leneus, a Haitian American councilman in East Orange. [NJ] "It's on the tip of everyone's tongue. The world has paused and everything in it. this has become front and center."
..... Leneus said he was "feverishly looking for ways to get tickets." But friends and family members in Haiti, where his parents were born, will be shut out by the travel ban that the Trump administration imposed in June [2025] on 19 countries that it has deemed "high-risk."
..... "It's bittersweet knowing everything going on back home and knowing people can't come and witness and enjoy it themselves," Leneus said, noting the political turmoil and natural disasters that have roiled Haiti in recent years.
..... "Other fans of other teams have the ability to witness their country play in the World Cup, but that opportunity has been restricted for Haitians," he said. "that's where a sense of remorse comes in and, quite frankly sadness and anger."The travel ban is part of President Donald Trump's larger immigration agenda restricting who can enter the country and expanding categories of immigrants who can be detained and deported. These hard-line policies have raised criticism and concern among human rights groups and fans ahead of the World Cup next year. [2026]
..... starting June 11, 2026, the World Cup will take place in 11 places in the United States - plus three in Mexico and two in Canada, Haiti's national team will compete in Boston, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Iran has matches in Los Angeles and Seattle. The tournament ends July 19, [2026] the final match taking place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. [NJ]

Athletes, but not fans

..... Due to Trump's travel ban, which took effect June 9, [2025] citizen of 19 countries including Haiti and Iran cannot obtain visas to enter the United States to attend the World Cup. The ban also includes Afghanistan, chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial guinea, Eritrea, Libra, Myanmar, Somalia, Suden, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tukmenistan and Venezuela.
..... The ban makes exemptions for athletes, their immediate relatives and essential staff members. Trump cited national security, terrorism concerns and insufficient vetting as reasons for the ban.
..... James Irani, an immigration lawyer from Wood-Ridge, [NJ] said the ban punishes citizens who have nothing to do with Iran's leadership or with alleged terror groups.
..... "I don't think it's fair that fans should be sacrificed because of the relationship between the Irani, who came to the United States from Iran in 1977.
..... The ban applies not only to those living in Iran. Irnai has also fielded calls at his practice from Iranian-born residents of Europe seeking visas to attend a World Cup game. then, he breaks the news.
..... "For the time begin at least," he said, 'there is a travel ban for Iranians both in the country and as a country of birth. some are still trying, but no exceptions to the ban are being approved.
..... Irani has been critical of the government of his native country. But he believes, he said, that "politics should not interfere with the nature and the spirit of the games."
..... But politics has already entered the fray.
..... The Iranian Football Federation had said it would boycott the FIFA Final Draw ceremony, held December 5 [2025] in Washington, DC, after the United States denied visas to several members of its delegation, including the head coach and federation president.
..... At the last minute, the federation reversed its decision and sent delegates to the ceremony, where FIFA announced 42 of the 48 countries that qualified for the World Cup.

Immigration fears

..... The clash over visas for the Iranian delegation exposed early friction that looms over the upcoming tournament, for which officials and athletes from courtiers listed in the travel ban will need U.S. permission to enter the country.
..... Asked about the incident, Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force on the World cup, said that "every single decision is a national security decision."
..... "It's the president's goal first and foremost every day to make sure that he can not just protect American citizens that are here, but all of those for the World cup, international travelers, that are hear," Giuliani told reporters at the Washington Foreign Press Center on December 3. [2025]
..... The Trump administration plans to expand the travel ban to over 30 countries. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in December. [2025] She did not say when or which countries would be added.
..... The ban isn't the only concern. Some fans and human rights groups are also worried about potential mitigation arrest or raids of U.S. residents during the World Cup.
..... IN July, [2025] authorities detained an asylum seeker before the FIFA Club world cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, [NJ] said a December 3 [2025] report by Human Rights Watch, an international advocacy organization. The man, whom the report did not identify, was allegedly detained while flying a small drone in the American Dream mall parking lot near the stadium. he was suing the drone to take a photograph with two of his children, ages 10 and 14, while waiting for the match to begin, the report said.
..... "A father who loves soccer planned a special day with his children at a FIFA tournament, ended up detained for three months, and was then sent to a country where he said his life is at risk," said Minky Worden , director of global initiatives at Human rights Watch.
..... Asked about the arrest, Giuliani said there was a temporary flight restitution in place and "zero tolerance for people flying their drones around these stadiums."
..... He did not rule out the possibility of mitigation enforcement during the World Cup, saying "the president does not rule out anything that will help make American citizens safer."
..... The World Cup approaches amid a slew of immigration changes that have left many immigrants in the United States with uncertain legal status. among those changes, the Trump administration has frozen the processing of asylum cases and ended some immigration protection programs.
..... Immigrants including Haitian Americans "are living with fear," Leneus said, with many keeping away form concerts and large sporting events to avoid risk of immigration raids.
..... The concern is acute for Haitians. some 350,000 living in the United states are set to lose Temporary Protection status - a temporary legal protection granted when one's country is deemed unsafe for return - on February 3, 2026. the Trump administration also ended humanitarian parole another form of legal status, for certain nationalities including about 210,000 Haitians.

'A miracle for us'

..... Despite concerns over mitigation restrictions, Haitian Americans said news that the national team would compete in the World Cup for the first time in over 50 years sparked a joy that could hardly be contained.
..... For Yves-Mary Fontin, Hatiti's participation is a high point that he called "a historic moment in my life."
..... "After so many years of struggle from natural disaster, form social economic problems, this is one of the best gifts we can have," said Fontin, head of cultural affairs for the Haitian Civic Organization of Paterson. [NJ] "Knowing that so many people in this generation can see that we made it to the World Cup, that this victory happened, it's like a miracle for us. This means a lot because we have been going through so much."
..... The community is even more excited knowing that one of its own - Derrick Etienne Jr, of Paterson [NJ] - is part of the Haitian national team that qualified for the 2026 World Cup, Fontin said. The travel ban, he added, is an unfortunate aspect of otherwise good news.
..... "It takes away from it," he said. "The USA can do better. They know about the problems [in Haiti]. I wish they would confider the ban during the games. This is really painful when we have this moment to enjoy, but some people cannot make it to support our national team."

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