In the run-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, the NFL is trying to steer the league’s biggest televised moment away from a political fight that has followed the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies into American living rooms.
The pressure is coming from two directions: immigration enforcement questions tied to ICE’s presence, and expectations that halftime performer Bad Bunny could use the national stage to address politics. The game, between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, is set for Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area, and organizers and officials are operating amid heightened national sensitivity to federal law enforcement tactics after a killing by federal agents in Minneapolis in April renewed debate about hard-line policing.
A key focus for critics is the possibility of ICE involvement at the stadium. The AP reported that more than 184,000 people have signed a petition calling on the NFL to denounce the potential presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Super Bowl, and that the progressive group MoveOn plans to deliver the petition to the NFL’s New York City headquarters on Tuesday.
Bad Bunny’s role has also become part of the same broader tension. He is scheduled to headline the halftime show as the league works to widen its global appeal. According to the AP report, Bad Bunny has criticized Trump on issues including his hurricane response in Puerto Rico and his treatment of immigrants, and he has blasted ICE while accepting an award at the Grammys. The report also said his most recent tour skipped the continental United States over fears his fans could be targeted by immigration agents.
Trump’s allies, meanwhile, have emphasized the political nature of Bad Bunny’s selection. The AP reported that Trump said he does not plan to attend this year’s game, unlike last year, and derided Bad Bunny as a “terrible choice.” A Republican senator called the event “the woke bowl,” and the report said a prominent conservative group plans to hold an alternative show it hopes will take attention from the main game.
NFL officials have said they are not changing course on the halftime booking. The AP reported that the halftime show is a collaboration between the NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music, with Roc Nation curating performers and Apple Music distributing the performance while the NFL controls the stage, broadcast and branding. The NFL said it never considered removing Bad Bunny from the halftime show after criticism from Trump and some of his supporters, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell described the singer as “one of the great artists in the world” and someone who understands the power of the Super Bowl performance “to unite people.”
On enforcement, the reporting describes a more complicated picture. The AP said DHS official Jeff Brannigan hosted private calls with local officials and the NFL in which he indicated that ICE does not plan to conduct law enforcement actions the week of the Super Bowl or at the game, citing two NFL officials with direct knowledge. The report also said that on Tuesday, NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier told a security briefing that federal security at the game would be consistent with past Super Bowls and that ICE would not be among the federal agencies present.
Lanier said, “There are no planned ICE enforcement activities. We are confident of that,” according to the AP. Still, some supporters of the petition and other critics want more than assurances of no specific planned operations. The AP reported that DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin refused to say whether federal immigration agents will be present for the Super Bowl when asked to clarify ICE’s role this week.
The AP report also cited earlier public remarks from Corey Lewandowski, a key adviser to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, in which Lewandowski said in October that ICE agents would be conducting immigration enforcement at the game, and said, “There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in the country illegally, not the Super Bowl, not anywhere else.” The contrast is part of why some advocates argue that even if one set of plans is in place now, the ultimate answer depends on decisions that could shift close to kickoff.
MoveOn’s rally plan centers on the presence question. The AP reported that MoveOn will host a Tuesday rally outside the NFL headquarters in New York to present a petition with the message “No ICE at the Super Bowl.” MoveOn spokesperson Britt Jacovich said the game “should be remembered for big plays and Bad Bunny, not masked and armed ICE agents running around the stadium inflicting chaos, violence, and trauma on fans and stadium workers,” and added that “the NFL has a responsibility to protect Super Bowl fans and stadium workers and keep ICE out of the game.”
Even as politics and protest mount, some officials involved in the host city said they expect the event to remain safe and celebratory. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie told the AP he was optimistic, saying, “We are going to keep everybody safe — our residents, our visitors,” and adding, “Obviously with everything going on, we’re staying on top of it, monitoring everything. But I expect everything to be safe and fun.”
For many viewers, the stakes are also about whether the Super Bowl can still serve as a break from the nation’s turmoil. Tiki Barber, a former New York Giants player who played in the Super Bowl in 2001 and has attended several as a commentator, told the AP, “The Super Bowl is supposed to be an escape, right? We’re supposed to go there to not have to talk about the serious things of this country.” He added, “I hope it doesn’t devolve, because if it does, then I think we’re really losing touch with what’s important in our society.”