CHICAGO — Local immigration advocates are calling for more welcoming visa policies for the World Cup tournament after members of the Iraqi national team were denied entry at O’Hare International Airport late last week.

Several members of the Iraqi team were detained for questioning on June 5 upon their arrival at O’Hare, the busiest international airport in the nation. The team’s official photographer was denied entry to the United States due to “vetting concerns,” according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson.

“This is the most important sporting event in the world. As the host nation, you have a responsibility to be welcoming to spectators, to teams, to everyone,” said Muhammad Sankari, organizing director of the American Arab Action Network. “The fact that the Iraqi team was subjected to this in our own backyard, in O’Hare Airport, really kind of shakes us to our core that customs and border patrol agents would treat the national team of Iraq this way.”

Sankari, along with other members of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant Refugee Rights, called for “the immediate lifting of travel bans and discriminatory restrictions that prevent teams, referees, media, and fans from fully participating” in the World Cup at a news conference Tuesday afternoon at its headquarters downtown.

“The World Cup should be a moment that brings people together across borders, cultures and continents,” said Fasika Alem, program director with the United African Organization. “It should not be used to reinforce exclusion. If the United States is going to host the world, it must welcome the world.”

O’Hare is not the only airport from which World Cup participants have been turned away. The next day in Miami, Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“All travelers seeking entry into the United States, including athletes, coaches, and staff, are subject to CBP inspection and vetting,” said the CBP statement. “Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection.”

The Chicago Department of Aviation does not track which World Cup teams have traveled through O’Hare. However, at least three teams, including Iraq, Venezuela and Germany, played “friendlies” in Chicagoland as a final warmup ahead of the tournament.

Additionally, the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant Refugee Rights expressed support for the national “No ICE in the Cup” campaign, which looks to protect fans from immigration enforcement agents as they spectate at host stadiums across the country or at watch parties locally.

As such, the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant Refugee Rights and U.S. Palestine Community Network is organizing a World Cup watch party Saturday in Bridgeview. Precautions will be taken so federal immigration agents cannot enter, organizers said.

“We will not look away as heightened enforcement puts a target on immigrant communities at home and the teams and fans that are passing by,” said Cinthya Rodriguez, director of movement building at the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant Refugee Rights.

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