U.S. confirms denial of entry to Somali referee for World Cup
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Al Jazeera on Monday that Omar Artan was stopped after landing in South Florida on Saturday.
By Ali HarbTuesday June 9, 2026
Referee Omar Artan signals a penalty during the CAF Champions League final in in Rabat, Morocco, on May 24 [Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP Photo]
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Washington has barred a leading Somali referee from entering the United States just as he was preparing for the FIFA World Cup, intensifying scrutiny of American travel restrictions and their possible effect on the tournament.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Al Jazeera on Monday that Omar Artan was stopped after landing in South Florida on Saturday.
Artan, who is listed among FIFA’s 52 World Cup referees, was “determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry”, a DHS spokesperson said in an email, offering no additional explanation.
His arrival in the US, however, indicates he likely held a valid visa before traveling.
Somalia appears on President Donald Trump’s travel ban list. Trump has repeatedly denigrated the East African nation and its people, and late last year drew condemnation after calling Somali immigrants in the US “garbage”.
Artan, regarded as one of Africa’s leading referees, was poised to become the first Somali official to take charge of a World Cup match.
The decision adds a fresh flashpoint to an already contentious debate over US travel policies and the World Cup, which Mexico and Canada are cohosting.
Iran’s national team is currently remaining in Mexico because of visa complications. Players will be permitted to enter the US for their match, but must then return to their base south of the border. Some members of the team’s staff, meanwhile, were denied US visas entirely.
Concern is also mounting over federal agents harassing foreign nationals or targeting undocumented immigrants in and around stadiums.
On Monday, Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, criticized the Trump administration’s plan to deploy a surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city during the tournament.
The city is scheduled to welcome fans for several matches, including the final, which will be held in nearby New Jersey.
“Soccer would not exist without immigrants. Immigrants play and coach the game, work in the stadiums, fill the stands, and make celebrations like the World Cup possible. Six of the players on the US Men’s National Team are immigrants,” Mamdani wrote in a social media post.
“We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our communities — especially at this moment. As the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbors and reject these attacks for what they are: an attempt to divide us.”
Also on Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the travel bans after Artan was turned away.
“Our nation should not ban anyone from our shores simply because of their race or their ethnicity. That’s especially true of a coach or referee or anyone else coming to participate in the World Cup,” Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s deputy director, told Al Jazeera.
“Somali visitors go through the same vetting process that other visitors go through, and once someone has gone through that thorough vetting process, there is no reason to ban them from our country simply because of their nationality. Doing so is an affront to our values and the law.”
FIFA, which last year gave Trump its first peace prize, did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
DHS has argued that World Cup participation — including by athletes, coaches and staff — does not override inspection and admissibility decisions made by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at airports and border crossings.
“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“CBP officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with US law.”
Earlier this year, in an interview with Al Jazeera in Mogadishu, Artan described it as an “honour” to reach football’s grandest stage despite the hardships and civil conflict in Somalia.
The referee said he has sometimes had to alter his route to his local stadium because of explosions in the country.
“You cannot give up as a referee. You have to have a target. I had this target, but it was not an easy job,” he said.
“You have to continue, and you have to fight if you want to go to a place like the World Cup.”
