H.R. 7986House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Save the World Cup Act

Sponsored by Nellie PouRep. Nellie Pou (D-NJ)
Introduced March 18, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

Updated March 31, 2026 at 4:52 AM UTC

The bill, called the "Save the World Cup Act," stops federal money from being used for civil immigration enforcement near 2026 FIFA World Cup matches and fan festivals. It applies to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, aiming to protect fans and participants from immigration actions in the event area, except in urgent situations that threaten safety or security.

Key Provisions

  • Prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice from using any federal funds to conduct civil immigration enforcement within one mile of any 2026 FIFA World Cup match or fan festival, unless an "exigent circumstance" applies.
  • Defines "exigent circumstances" to include imminent risk of death, violence, or physical harm (including terrorism), threats to U.S. national security, immediate arrest or hot pursuit of a dangerous individual, or imminent destruction of evidence in a criminal case.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

March 18, 2026

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

March 18, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

March 18, 2026

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.R. 7986 on the floor

1 Republican
Monica De La Cruz
Rep. Monica De La CruzR-TX-15 · Jul 9, 2026

Under clause 7 of rule XII, sponsors were added to public bills and resolutions, as follows: H.R. 7: Mr. Van Epps. H.R. 138: Ms. Norton, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, and Mr. Calvert. H.R. 491: Ms. Wilson of…

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued March 18, 2026

I

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 7986

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 18, 2026

Ms. Pou (for herself, Mr. Swalwell, Mrs. McIver, and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To provide that no Federal funds made available to the Department of Homeland Security or Department of Justice may be used to carry out any civil immigration enforcement activity within one mile of any 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup match or Fan Festival, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Save the World Cup Act.

2.

Limitation on use of funds

(a)

In general

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal funds made available to the Department of Homeland Security or Department of Justice may be used, except under exigent circumstances, to carry out any civil immigration enforcement activity under the immigration laws (as such term is defined in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101)), within one mile of any 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup match or FIFA Fan Festival.

(b)

Exigent circumstances defined

In this section, the term exigent circumstances means a situation involving any of the following:

(1)

The imminent risk of death, violence, or physical harm to a person, including in the case of terrorism (as such term is defined in section 2 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101)).

(2)

The imminent risk to the national security of the United States.

(3)

The immediate arrest or hot pursuit of an individual presenting an imminent risk to public safety, including relating to death, violence, or physical harm to a person.

(4)

The imminent risk of destruction of evidence that is material to an ongoing criminal case.