DHS Secretary Mullin Defends Denial of Entry to Somali World Cup Referee
The visa denial of a FIFA-credentialed official tests the intersection of federal immigration enforcement authority and the United States' obligations as host nation of the 2026 World Cup.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly responded to criticism following the U.S. government's decision to deny entry to Omar Arta, a Somali referee credentialed by FIFA to officiate matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The denial was reported by CBS News on June 11, 2026, citing correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez. Secretary Mullin, confirmed by the Senate on December 5, 2024, as DHS Secretary (Senate Executive Calendar, 118th Congress), stated the department was reacting to the backlash but did not publicly reverse the decision as of the time of this report.
The Department of Homeland Security holds statutory authority under 8 U.S.C. § 1182 to deny entry to foreign nationals, including on national security and immigration grounds. The specific legal basis cited by DHS for denying Arta's entry had not been made public in any official DHS press release or court filing as of June 11, 2026. CBS News reported Mullin was reacting to backlash but did not detail which provision of inadmissibility was applied.
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The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, was awarded hosting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by FIFA's governing council in June 2018. As part of its host agreement, the U.S. Soccer Federation and relevant federal agencies entered into government guarantees covering visa facilitation for participating teams, officials, and credentialed personnel. The precise language of those guarantees and whether Arta's denial constitutes a breach of any memorandum of understanding between FIFA and the U.S. government has not been disclosed in any publicly available federal contract record on USASpending.gov or State Department filing as of this report.
FIFA has not issued a formal public statement on the record regarding the denial as of June 11, 2026, according to available wire reports. The State Department, which processes visa applications in coordination with DHS, had not posted a formal response on its public website as of the publication of this story. Congressional oversight of DHS visa decisions falls under the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee; neither committee had announced a hearing or inquiry into this matter as of this date.
What remains unknown: the specific statutory ground under 8 U.S.C. § 1182 applied to Arta's denial, whether a formal diplomatic protest was filed by Somalia or FIFA, and the full text of any host-nation visa facilitation agreement between the U.S. government and FIFA. A Freedom of Information Act request to DHS and the State Department, or a congressional inquiry by the House Homeland Security Committee, would be the public records most likely to answer these questions.