Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has asked top Trump administration officials to reconsider policies that are impacting travelers arriving in the United States, citing upcoming sporting events like the 2026 World Cup.
Wyden, the top Democrat on the finance committee, wrote Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday to air his concerns over recent reports of international travelers being detained and other travel issues.
“This has turned ordinary travel into a needlessly grueling ordeal for tourists, business travelers, lawful permanent residents and U.S. citizens,” Wyden wrote.
International travelers appear increasingly wary of the administration’s immigration and border policies. Several countries have updated travel guidelines for their citizens planning on visiting the United States.
The travel forecasting company Tourism Economics revised its annual outlook last month to predict a 9.4% decline in international arrivals this year.
In February, a German visitor who attempted to return to the United States with his American fiancé after a road trip to Mexico was detained for 16 days. A backpacker from Britain, Becky Burke, was stopped at the U.S.-Canada border and held for nearly three weeks at a detention facility in the state of Washington, according to her father.
Wyden’s plea comes after the federal government’s National Travel and Tourism Office released preliminary figures showing visits to the U.S. from overseas fell 11.6% in March compared to the same month last year.
That slump has financial consequences. Tourism Economics expects U.S. spending by international visitors to drop by $9 billion this year.
In addition to the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, Wyden also pointed to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The United States also will host the Club World Cup this summer in 11 cities across the country.
“Ahead of these events, your departments will experience a significant increase in travelers seeking entry to the United States, to include extraordinary athletes, support staff, government officials, journalists, business owners, and spectators,” Wyden wrote. “If your harsh and unnecessary approaches to travelers continue, foreign-born athletes who have spent their whole lives training for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity may be unable to travel to the United States to participate in these games.”
Border issues have already worried a number of soccer players. Venezuelan forward Deyna Castellanos, who plays in the National Women’s Soccer League, did not join her national team for a pair of recent matches because of fears she wouldn’t be allowed to return.
Zambia‘s national team did not call up four women playing in the United States for games in China out of similar concerns.
In a March meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, President Donald Trump announced the formation of a task force to coordinate the federal government’s security and planning for next year’s World Cup.
