There are concerns around ICE at this year’s Super Bowl (Image: Getty)
More than 35 federal, state, and local agencies have been collaborating for the past 18 months to guarantee public safety during Super Bowl LX, which is anticipated to draw over one million visitors to the Bay Area. This comes despite worries about ICE conducting raids in Northern California amidst heightened tensions following immigration enforcement operations elsewhere in the country – including Minnesota, where federal agents fatally shot two civilians last month.
Nevertheless, NFL chief security officer Kathy Lanier confirmed earlier this week that no ICE or immigration enforcement operations are planned around the Super Bowl or associated events, prior to the championship clash between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Ahead of Super Bowl LX, the Bay Area would witness a “significant increase in federal personnel, including federal law enforcement, across the region,” according to Jeff Brannigan, the Department of Homeland Security federal coordinator.
However, “these professionals are here with the specific and strict purpose of directly supporting the Super Bowl-related security plans of the cities of Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Jose” to ensure the safety of residents and the estimated 1.3million anticipated visitors, Brannigan continued.
The deployed personnel, Brannigan went on to say, comprise “federal tactical teams working with local SWAT personnel, federal aircraft monitoring regional airspace, and uniformed officers manning various security screening technologies.”
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FBI operatives have been gathering and examining intelligence on possible threats round the clock at a joint command centre alongside law enforcement and public safety colleagues since Super Bowl week commenced, guaranteeing that collected information is disseminated instantly to all parties and facilitating a swift response should it prove necessary.
ICE have been a point of controversy ahead of the Super Bowl (Image: Getty)
The FBI-led security measures encompass temporary flight restrictions and a no-drone zone surrounding Levi’s Stadium in collaboration with the FAA, plus the deployment of specially trained tactical staff, including bomb technicians and hazardous device experts, Sanjay Virmani, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Francisco field office, disclosed.
“Super Bowl LX is one of our largest and most complex security operations our region has ever supported,” Virmani stated.
Working in the city hosting the match itself, the Santa Clara Police Department serves as the principal public safety agency for planning and coordination, backed by counterparts in San Francisco and San Jose.
Given that San Francisco is also the area’s primary tourist destination, where multiple Super Bowl-related activities – including Super Bowl Experience, an NFL theme park at the Moscone Center – are held, the city has mobilised all available police resources.
The Super Bowl has been classified as a SERE 1 event, the second-highest security rating in the US, and as a result, all San Francisco Police Department officers will be on duty with no leave granted during the week of celebrations, according to Chief of Police Derrick Lew.
“I can say with the highest confidence that we’re ready,” stated Lew. “For anyone visiting San Francisco on this special occasion, know that anywhere you go in the city, it will be safe.”
Despite the heightened security for the championship game, it is not anticipated to disrupt the regular operations of local law enforcement and emergency services.
“All 10 district stations and neighborhoods are staffed to respond to any other emergencies that are not related to the Super Bowl,” Lew continued. “Our public safety resources will not be impacted. Visit our local restaurants and bars, see our world-class sites, enjoy San Francisco, and see why it’s the greatest city on the planet.”
The San Jose Police Department’s air support unit will provide real-time aerial assistance to officers on the ground.
For the first time during such a large-scale event, the department will also operate a real-time intelligence centre, “giving us enhanced situational awareness and real-time coordination with our partners across the region,” said SJPD Deputy Chief of Police Brian Spears.