Anthony Capuano stood at the 2026 Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles and said what every hotelier with a $1,000-a-night suite is thinking. The Marriott CEO told his peers that aggressive immigration bouncers are about to ruin the most lucrative party in human history. FIFA is throwing a record-breaking $871 million at the 2026 World Cup, but the Department of Homeland Security seems determined to scare the guests away.

Secretary Markwayne Mullin is pushing for a heavy ICE presence at stadiums in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. This plan has tourism officials sweating through their tailored shirts. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told reporters he hoped the federal presence would be "small, unnoticeable, negligible, invisible and maybe nonexistent." According to a YouGov survey, nearly half of Americans believe international travelers will simply stay home if the borders feel like a cage.

This paper notes the irony of a government that defaulted on 240,000 DHS payroll checks on May 1st yet finds the energy to patrol soccer matches. The $70 billion border-only funding package prioritized by the Senate ensures that while the staff may not be paid, the surveillance will be state-of-the-art.

FIFA is increasing payouts to participating teams by an additional $2 million each. The prize pool is a 65% jump from the Qatar edition. But as Marriott’s Capuano warned, the U.S. is making the world feel unwelcome. For the elite, the World Cup is a home run for the lodging industry, provided the bouncers don't shut down the club before the first whistle blows.