As the mayor of Santa Clara is worried about the potential presence of ICE at the Super Bowl, Stephen A. Smith is urging the Trump Administration to pull back.
In recent months, the Trump Administration has repeatedly threatened to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California for Super Bowl LX this Sunday Feb. 8. The threats began after Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime show’s headliner, where he’ll perform primarily in Spanish. Bad Bunny previously kept the U.S. off his latest world concert tour amid fear of ICE raiding his shows. And this past Sunday, Bad Bunny spoke out against ICE during one of his Grammy acceptance speeches.
With Super Bowl LX and Bad Bunny’s halftime show rapidly approaching, Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor told Rolling Stone there have been “constant threats” of ICE’s presence. To that, Stephen A. Smith is urging President Donald Trump and his administration to leave the Super Bowl alone.
“ICE, with all the stuff that’s been going on, there are still threats by the Trump Administration that they will be at the Super Bowl. If that happens, it will be a disaster,” Smith said Monday on his Mad Dog Sports Radio show. “I sincerely hope the Trump Administration will pull back on that. You don’t need to be messing with the Super Bowl. Let people enjoy the Super Bowl. Let them watch the Super Bowl in peace. You don’t need to be having that threat dangling over that.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the potential ICE presence for Sunday during his Super Bowl LX press conference. And during his response, Goodell noted the importance of local, state and federal law enforcement working together to ensure the safety of everyone at the event, but he did not speak to any potential immigration operations.
Roger Goodell is asked whether or not there will be any ICE enforcement operations at the Super Bowl and also addresses Bad Bunny’s remarks about ICE at last night’s Grammy Awards. pic.twitter.com/FxGcbiIbZP
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 2, 2026
ICE’s presence is not uncommon at Super Bowls. Local, regional and federal law enforcement is often used in tandem for large-scale events, with Rolling Stone stating ICE has supplemented the Department of Homeland Security at other Super Bowls.
The role of ICE at those Super Bowls, however, has been focused on anti-terrorism protocol, not anti-immigration. And according to The Athletic, the same is expected for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, with there being no planned immigration operations at the event. But that won’t change the fact that any ICE presence currently heightens tensions, especially as their aggressive immigration tactics have recently led to multiple deaths.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com