A digital billboard supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has appeared at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, generating mixed reactions just days before Super Bowl 60.
The billboard, located at Mason and Jefferson streets in a heavily trafficked tourist area, displays messages including “Defensive player of the year: ICE” and “They can’t win without defense. Neither can America,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
A conservative group called American Sovereignty has claimed responsibility for the advertisement. The organization recently launched a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign supporting ICE in several states, including Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Michigan, and Georgia.
“We are saluting the brave Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who work everyday in defense of America with billboards and ads in San Francisco for Super Bowl LX,” the group stated on social media.
The billboard has drawn strong reactions from visitors and locals alike.
“It made me sick to my stomach,” said Karen Guerrero of Chicago. “It puts fear in me – that it’s desensitizing people to think that it’s OK to be people hurting people.”
Others expressed different views. “They have a job to do too. That’s it. I don’t have a problem with them,” said Scott Yurt, also from Chicago.
The advertisement appears amid concerns about potential immigration enforcement during the Super Bowl. However, officials have stated that no ICE operations are planned in the Bay Area during the event.
In response to fears about ICE presence, several immigrant rights groups held a rally in San Jose on Monday, with dozens marching to express that “ICE is not welcome in the Bay Area.”
“We have a ‘Week of Action’ during the Super Bowl. The point of this ‘Week of Action’ is to send a message not only to Kristi Noem — that she’s not welcome here — but also that ICE is not welcome in this community,” said Joao Paulo Connolly, Silicon Valley Rising Action Organizing Director.
Roberto Hernandez, co-founder of the Latino Task Force, called the billboard “sickening” and said advocates were reaching out to city officials to urge them to remove it.
Bay Area leaders have been working to ease fears of an immigration crackdown during the Super Bowl, stating they don’t expect more federal agents than what is standard for major sporting events.
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