San José residents are getting ready for Super Bowl XL amidst fears of increased immigration enforcement in the area.
On Feb. 8, the Super Bowl will be held at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, along with speculation about an increase of United States Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents in the area, according to a Jan. 29 article from SFgate.
Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said ICE agents would be “all over” the Superbowl, according to an interview with Noem on The Benny Show podcast.
“There will be (ICE enforcement at the Super Bowl) because the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for keeping it safe,” Noem said.
However, National Football League (NFL) Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier said there are currently “no planned ICE enforcement activities” taking place at the Super Bowl, according to an article from NBC Bay Area.
District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz said in a Jan. 30 interview with NBC Bay Area that he spoke with both the NFL and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during a rally against ICE at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San José.
“They’ve communicated to me that as of now, there are no plans to conduct any sort of immigration enforcements during the Super Bowl. I appreciate that information, but I take it at face value,” Ortiz said in an interview with NBC Bay Area.
Mari Fuentes-Martin, vice president for Student Affairs at San José State, sent out a campus wide email on Jan. 28.
The email explained the school’s commitment to Senate Bill 98, a law that requires state universities to inform students of any confirmed immigration activity on campus.
The bill was signed into effect on Sep. 20, 2025 and aims to protect immigrant communities, according to the same email.
Steven Bui, a third-year computer system network management student at SJSU, said he was born as the son of two immigrants and raised in Santa Clara County.
“It just worries me that they could just show up at any time,” Bui said. “I worry about some of my other friends that just came into America fairly recently. I worry about them, and myself, and my family the most.”
The Santa Clara Police Department is in charge of public safety for Super Bowl LX, according to a Jan. 20 press release from the City of Santa Clara.
The Rapid Response Network, an organization that supports immigrants with free emergency legal assistance and monitors ICE activity, will be increasing resources during the Super Bowl, according to a Jan. 27 news article from San José Spotlight.
Mariam Arif, the director of communications and development with Services, Immigrants Rights & Education Network (SIREN), said there has been a higher volume of calls on their rapid response hotlines.
Arif said that the organization has been dedicating time in the community educating those at risk about their Fourth and Fifth amendment rights.
“Based on the increasing fear and anxiety that the community is facing at the moment, that’s a danger to the community alone because it deters people from going to work, to school, to seeking something as important as medical care,” Arif said.
The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable search and seizure, while the Fifth Amendment offers protection for those accused of crimes such as the right to due process, according to the United States Constitution.
Arif said SIREN has also been collaborating with San José city council members such as Ortiz to make sure the necessary preparations are being taken to keep the 765,000 immigrant population of Santa Clara safe.
The community of Santa Clara has been speaking up against ICE at the Super Bowl, with protests breaking out across the Bay Area to protest the recent shootings in Minneapolis, according to a Jan. 30 news article from NBC Bay Area.
A man dressed as Batman who’s known as Batman of San José on Instagram attended a joint Santa Clara City Council and Santa Clara Stadium Authority meeting on Jan. 27, according to a video published by him on his Instagram account.
He criticized officials over their response to ICE being at the Super Bowl and insisted that “no city resources” be provided to any federal agents, according to the same source.
The Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriffs said in an official statement to the Spartan Daily that all individuals, including federal agents, will be held accountable for any criminal acts they may commit; “We would respond as we would in any case: by following established legal processes, coordinating with appropriate authorities, and ensuring that any action is grounded in law, evidence, and due process.”
Cory Morgan, chief of police in Santa Clara, said the department has a comprehensive security plan in place that’s been developed over an extended planning period, according to a statement published to the department’s Facebook page.
“That preparation allows us to remain focused, flexible, and responsive to real conditions as they evolve,” Morgan said in the statement. “The Santa Clara Police Department does not direct or control federal law enforcement agencies.”
