- Human Rights Watch requested a one-minute silence at the twenty twenty-six World Cup final for migrants killed.
- The proposal honors two men shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during traffic stops.
- FIFA has not yet confirmed the tribute, which may be seen as a provocation toward the U.S. President.
Human Rights Watch has asked FIFA to hold a one-minute silence before the 2026 World Cup final for two migrants who, according to the group, were shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this month.
The request targets the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026, between Argentina and Spain, with kickoff at 21:00.
Minky Worden, the group’s director of global initiatives, said Thursday, July 16, that a tribute would be “entirely appropriate.” She said FIFA could use it to honor the dead and meet promises that the tournament would “uphold human rights.”
Donald Trump is scheduled to attend.
Worden said the tournament will be remembered alongside the deportations and deaths linked to the administration’s immigration campaign. She told reporters:
“When people look back and remember this World Cup 2026, the world will remember the people killed by ICE and the deportations carried out by ICE while the tournament was happening.”
FIFA had not confirmed whether it would accept the request as of July 16. The proposal was considered unlikely to win approval because it could be viewed as a provocation toward the U.S. president.
The requested tribute would honor two traffic-stop deaths
HRW identified the victims as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, also identified in some reports as Johan Sebastián Durán, and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Guerrero was a 26-year-old Colombian man killed Monday, July 14, in Biddeford, Maine. Salgado Araujo was a 52-year-old Mexican man killed July 7 in Houston, Texas.
Both men died during traffic stops described as “integrated traffic operations.” HRW linked those operations to Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
| Victim | Age and nationality | Date and location | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joan Sebastian Guerrero, also identified as Johan Sebastián Durán | 26-year-old Colombian man | Monday, July 14, 2026, Biddeford, Maine | Killed during a traffic stop |
| Lorenzo Salgado Araujo | 52-year-old Mexican man | July 7, 2026, Houston, Texas | Killed during a traffic stop |
The stadium sits just nine miles from an ICE detention facility. That proximity forms part of the group’s argument that the final offers FIFA a direct setting to address the deaths.
HRW and other groups have accused FIFA of failing to use its influence to defend human rights during the tournament. They have also argued that the administration used the World Cup as a “weapon” for its immigration policies.
Earlier silences honored different victims
FIFA has already used moments of silence during the tournament. At the July 11 quarterfinals between Norway and England and between Argentina and Switzerland, players and fans observed a tribute to Jayden Adams, a 25-year-old South African footballer who died earlier that week.
That tribute did not concern the ICE killings. A separate silence was planned for the France-Spain semifinal to honor victims of the 2016 Nice attack.
The proposed final tribute would therefore carry a different message. It would address deaths connected to immigration enforcement in the host country while the tournament is still underway.
HRW also wants investigations into the deaths
The group has called for an independent investigation into the two cases. It said no immigration officers have faced charges in any of at least nine deaths linked to Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
The Mexican government has also announced plans to file criminal complaints in the United States over the deaths of more than a dozen Mexican citizens in U.S. custody.
The final is set for MetLife Stadium on July 19. FIFA’s decision on the proposed tribute will determine whether the match begins with a memorial tied directly to the administration’s immigration enforcement campaign.
