ICE busts over 900 traffickers and frees 180 victims during 2026 World Cup

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended 905 individuals suspected of human trafficking and rescued 180 victims, 30 of whom were children. The operations were coordinated with the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking and a network of federal, state and local police. In Dallas, agents uncovered an adult bookstore that had functioned as a brothel for more than 20 years, resulting in eight arrests and charges ranging from sex-trafficking conspiracy to money-laundering.

A separate investigation in San Francisco, in partnership with the FBI, rescued two girls, one of whom had been missing from Bakersfield since late 2025. The broader security effort also involved confiscating over 700 unauthorized drones, inspecting nearly 19,000 vehicles bound for stadiums, and seizing counterfeit World Cup merchandise valued at more than $33 million.