On the eve of the Bay Area's first FIFA World Cup match, 27 county supervisors and 10 local nonprofit leaders signed a joint statement telling immigrant communities that local government sees their fear — acknowledging, in their own words, that "many people do not feel safe right now."

The coalition, reported Thursday by Bay City News, spans counties across the region and pairs elected officials with immigrant-serving organizations. It lands as international concern mounts over Trump-era immigration enforcement around the tournament — and as federal officials insist agents will not be doing immigration work at the matches, an assurance many fans abroad have been unwilling to take at face value.

On the eve of the Bay Area's first FIFA World Cup match, 27 county supervisors and 10 local nonprofit leaders signed a joint statement telling immigrant communities that local government sees their fear — acknowledging, in their own words, that "many people do not feel safe right now."

The coalition, reported Thursday by Bay City News, spans counties across the region and pairs elected officials with immigrant-serving organizations. It lands as international concern mounts over Trump-era immigration enforcement around the tournament — and as federal officials insist agents will not be doing immigration work at the matches, an assurance many fans abroad have been unwilling to take at face value.

The statement welcomed "people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, languages and traditions" to the region for the tournament while confronting the harder reality underneath the celebration. According to NBC Bay Area, the signatories represent both local Bay Area governments and community organizations focused on immigrant rights, legal services, education and community advocacy. Neither the statement as reported nor the NBC Bay Area account named the individual supervisors or specified which county boards signed on; the message was issued and attributed collectively.

"As elected officials and community leaders, we also recognize that these are uncertain times for many residents, including local immigrant families and visitors," the signatories wrote. "We see that concern, and we recognize that many people do not feel safe right now."

That language is notably direct for a civic welcome. It does not paper over immigration enforcement with generic hospitality; it names the fear and validates it.

The statement comes in response to international anxiety over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, NBC Bay Area reported. For months, soccer fans worldwide have cited visa delays and heightened Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in weighing whether to travel to the U.S. for the event. Those worries have sharpened in recent days: federal agencies have denied entry to many fans, to a Somali referee — who, per the outlet, will now not officiate the tournament — and to the Iraqi national team's photographer.

Federal officials have tried to tamp the concern down. Back in February, rumors circulated that Trump had ordered ICE surges in the Bay Area around the Super Bowl and the World Cup, according to NBC Bay Area. The administration has since claimed that, while California National Guard soldiers will be deployed as part of routine special-event security, federal agents will not be involved in immigration enforcement during the World Cup.

That assurance has not settled the question on the ground. Hours before the supervisors' statement, The Dissent reported that the FBI's 20-agency "Operation Goal Kick" deployment at Levi's Stadium declined to say what role, if any, ICE would play at the venue. Read alongside that reporting — a juxtaposition this outlet draws, not one the supervisors claimed — the joint statement reads as local officials putting themselves on record where federal messaging has left immigrant residents unconvinced. The source does not establish that the statement was a coordinated response to any specific federal operation.

The broad county coalition reflects the same cross-jurisdictional organizing Bay Area leaders have used on other World Cup logistics — transportation, the economy, law enforcement — now extended explicitly to immigrant communities as the eyes of the world turn to the region.

The Bay Area is set to host six matches over the next three weeks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The officials closed by invoking the tournament itself: "As we celebrate our teams on the pitch and our communities in the stands, at viewing parties, and in backyards and living rooms, we hope these matches become a moment of connection, pride, and shared humanity — a reminder that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths."

The first Bay Area match kicks off Saturday.