US CWC chaos: Trump anti-immigration assault leaves supporters fearing arrest

Preparations for the upcoming Club World Cup have been thrown into disarray amid Donald Trump's latest crackdown on anti-immigration in the US.

The tournament is set to begin on Saturday evening and will see some of the world's best football teams battle it out to claim the lucrative £100million prize pot on offer.

However, just days before the competition starts, fears over fan safety have spiked amid police raids on undocumented immigrants and the resulting protests across the country.

The ICE raids have sparked protests that brought Los Angeles to its knees - as the mayor opted to introduce a lockdown - after Trump ordered 700 Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops to be sent to the area on Monday.

The riot-ravaged Downtown area will be a no-go zone from 8pm to 6am on Tuesday through Wednesday after violent demonstrators set fire to cars and looted buildings.

The issue for Club World Cup chiefs is that the Rose Bowl Stadium, in the heart of LA, is scheduled to play host to six games across 10 days.

European giants PSG and Atletico Madrid are set to play the opening match at the stadium on Sunday afternoon - despite all the ongoing concerns.

As reported by L'Equipe, Spanish side Madrid have chosen a five-star hotel situated in the curfew area of Los Angeles - meaning they will have to comply with all rules.

French champions PSG, meanwhile, are set to play three group stage matches in cities affected by Trump's deployment of armed forces.

Breaking his silence on the matter, FIFA president Gianni Infantino told US media: 'No, I don't have any concerns about anything in the sense that we are very attentive on any security. The most important [thing] for us is to guarantee security for all fans.'

Furthermore, though they are not part of the Club World Cup, the ongoing protests in Los Angeles have also brought issues for the Mexico national side.

Mexico are set to play three Gold Cup matches in the coming days - with the first being against the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood - and had reserved a hotel in downtown Los Angeles to stay in.

However, a team spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that, amid the ongoing protests, the national team have opted to move hotel. It was also confirmed that CONCACAF has allowed for a change to an undetermined hotel.

For five days now rioters have wreaked havoc on communities as they railed against  Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants.

The arrival of Trump's military reinforcements in Los Angeles brought its own set of challenges on Tuesday, with furious Governor Newsom filing an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order.

'I just filed an emergency motion to block Trump's illegal deployment of Marines and National Guard in Los Angeles,' he said on X.

'Trump is turning the U.S. military against American citizens. The courts must immediately block these illegal actions.'

The state said the order would 'prevent the use of federalized National Guard and active duty Marines for law enforcement purposes on the streets of a civilian city.'

'Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California,' the filing stated. 'They must be stopped, immediately.'

Meanwhile, Trump is set to deploy ICE tactical units to five Democrat-run cities - including New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and northern Virginia, which contains the Democrat enclave of Alexandria.

The likes of Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea are among the teams set to feature in Philadelphia over the coming weeks in the tournament.

The English sides both have matches at the 69,000-seater Lincoln Financial Field - with City set to play there next Wednesday and Chelsea on the following Friday.

Meanwhile, in New York, at least 45 people were arrested as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets near Foley Square in Manhattan, The New York Post reported.

Amid the protests, fans have expressed concern regarding safety and immigration enforcement while at the tournament.

These fears spiked after a social media post - which has now been deleted - by U.S. Customs and Border Protection suggested that ICE agents would be present at the tournament's opening game at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

In response, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz attempted to relieve fan fears. She said: 'We are in charge of security at the stadium for Club World Cup.

'While we're working with our state and local partners, that is not our priority that day.

'Should things get out of hand, and our partners ask for assistance, we're there to provide the support needed to ensure the safety of the community.'

Meanwhile, Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition said: 'It's disturbing that Border Patrol not only announced their presence at the game but also sort of implied that people should have their immigration paperwork in order to attend.

'It's good that the sheriff is trying to calm those fears, but they're still operating under a 287(g) agreement.'