During a Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee hearing last month, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) spoke about security measures for upcoming sporting events being hosted in the United States.
00:00I am very pleased to be able to gavel in the first hearing in the Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee today.
00:07Since January the 20th, we've seen significant development and improvement on the border security and development in the federal workforce.
00:14I'm eager to dive into a lot of those issues, but today's issue, we want to focus on America's readiness for the upcoming global events,
00:22specifically on personnel readiness and the paramount importance of managing the border as tens of thousands of spectators, athletes, coaches, government leaders
00:31come in from around the world for the Los Angeles Olympics, for World Cup, for the 250th birthday of the United States.
00:38We have a lot that's coming up in the next several years for us.
00:43Under the Trump administration, President Trump took an active role in bidding for and winning the chance to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup
00:50and the 2028 LA Olympics.
00:53The United States is also hosting the 2025 FIFA World Cup, for which begins later on this week,
00:58and it's looking like the U.S. could also host the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup.
01:04The 2028 LA Olympics will also be holding two events in Oklahoma City as they wisely chose Oklahoma
01:10for softball and for canoeing and kayaking slalom.
01:13The federal government has promised to provide significant investment in security, visa processing,
01:19and multiple other aspects that go into these large global events.
01:23The FIFA World Cup will also coincide with America's 250th birthday,
01:27with a match being played on July the 4th, 2026, in Philadelphia.
01:33Our government must be on the ball and will be ready to be able to secure the nation
01:37and ensure seamless travel for all of our welcome guests from around the world.
01:42However, when this committee spoke with DHS last year, I was very concerned the administration
01:47had not fully prepared for these events yet, and the format was not laid out sufficiently
01:52to make that a seamless event.
01:55For example, visa wait times for Colombian nationals are at 18 months.
02:01That means Colombian nationals who want to come and support their team at the World Cup next year
02:05will have already needed to have applied for their visa, or they will not get to come and watch their team.
02:12If a Colombian national applied today, they would receive their visa after the World Cup has concluded.
02:18If Costa Rica or Ecuador qualifies, their nationals are in a similar boat.
02:23The next available visa appointment in Costa Rica will occur during the 2026 World Cup,
02:28and the visa processing time for Ecuadorian nationals means that an applicant today
02:33will receive their visa after the World Cup ends.
02:36That's clearly a problem for their fans.
02:39Customs and Border Protection, the State Department, Federal Protective Service,
02:42Secret Service, DHS headquarters, and many other elements in the federal government
02:46have told my staff that they're aware of the visibility and prominence of these events on the world stage,
02:52but they hold grave concerns about what it will take to also process the visas and to secure these events.
02:58In 1996, we saw the bombing at the Atlanta Olympics.
03:02In 2013, we saw a bombing at the Boston Marathon.
03:06Just last year, French authorities thwarted three attempted terrorist attacks during the Paris Olympic Games.
03:12These events are highly visible.
03:14They're symbolic targets for those who want to do our nation harm,
03:17and we have to be prepared to stop attacks before they happen.
03:22In addition to what we would think of as more traditional terrorist threats,
03:25we're also now seeing the proliferation of drones and illicit drone flights around major sporting events,
03:30including the NBA Finals happening in Oklahoma City just this last weekend.
03:35Last year, a Baltimore Ravens game was disrupted by an illicit drone flight.
03:40In the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and in Mexico,
03:44drones are increasingly carrying explosive devices and other payloads
03:48that could cause significant harm to athletes and spectators during these events.
03:52The last time our country hosted events of this magnitude occurred in Salt Lake City in 2002,
03:59before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security even existed.
04:04So, while I'm confident there has been a lot of preparation for this task
04:09and for all these guests coming from the world,
04:11I am concerned that we are getting a late start.
04:14Happy to see that President Trump has announced a World Cup task force
04:17that's being led by the Department of Homeland Security.
04:19This effort takes these events even more seriously
04:22and will focus on what it takes to be able to bring benefits to our country.
04:27Our witnesses are here today.
04:28They've been specifically invited to be able to talk about some of the things
04:31and the concerns that they have
04:33and also things that we just need to be able to pay attention to in the days ahead.
04:37And I look forward to their testimony and introducing them in a moment.
04:40With that, I would welcome ranking member Senator Fetterman for an opening statement.
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