9 June 25 - July 1, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | Let ’em in A national art campaign protests immigration crackdowns during the World Cup. BY CAROLINA DEL BUSTO T he World Cup has officially landed in Miami, with the first game at Hard Rock Stadium tak- ing place Monday, June 15, and matches continuing through Sat- urday, July 18. The global tournament has brought with it parties, fan festivals, wild traf- fic and fears of Immigration and Customs En- forcement (ICE) crackdowns. In response, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit is encour- aging local artists in host cities to use their skills to protest the agency’s potential in- volvement. The Horizons Project asked artists to cre- ate works to demand ICE stay away from sta- diums, watch parties, and local businesses during the tournament. Its latest project, No ICE in the Cup, prioritizes curating public art, hosting local soccer matches and cultural events, and building a community network across the 11 host cities, including Miami. Paola Mendoza, an artist and activist working with the nonprofit, along with other Hori- zons Project committee members, worked to commission original poster art from one art- ist in each host city. “What we’ve seen in this country since Donald Trump was elected is violence in our community specifically directed from ICE,” Mendoza tells New Times. “We’re living in this moment where democracy is crumbling in this country, and we’re seeing unprece- dented violations of rights and unprece- dented moments of government corruption.” While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has assured that ICE agents will not be de- ployed to stadiums, activists remain skeptical. Several players have faced visa complications in trying to enter the country in the early days of the tournament, and United States Secre- tary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mul- lin has confirmed immigration enforcement will still be part of ICE’s operations in Miami. So, what role can artists play in counter- ing those fears? “The reason we went to artists is that we firmly believe — I firmly believe — that art and artists have a particular role in all of this — in fighting back,” explains Mendoza. “We wanted to bring artists into the fold and take a stand and say that soccer is a game of the world; soccer is a time for communi- ties to come to- gether, to be with one another in safety and in joy, and the threat of ICE at this moment in time during the World Cup needs to stop.” In selecting art- ists to commission for the 11 main city posters, The Horizons Project wanted to ensure that each one con- nected with the issue. Miami’s Johann C. Muñoz-Tapasco, chosen to create the local poster, explores social justice themes in his work, making him an ideal pick for the No ICE in the Cup campaign. A painter and photographer by trade, Mu- ñoz-Tapasco began dabbling in graphic de- sign and poster art about two years ago. And that’s not the only evolution he’s made along the way. “In the last ten years, I’ve been grounding my practice in a more socially engaged way... There is a place for art in liberation move- ments,” he says. Born in Colombia, Muñoz-Tapasco im- migrated to the States in the late 1990s. He lived undocumented for a decade, so when Jordan Seaberry of The Horizons Project reached out about submitting a piece, he felt it was kismet. “It was a good opportu- nity to merge our worlds and our missions,” he says. Muñoz-Tapasco’s piece is meant to be ed- ucational and act as historical memory. It fea- tures an alligator emerging from the water and chomping on a soccer ball. Surrounding the graphic, the artist included information and phone numbers for people who might be detained by ICE. “This poster became an amalgamation of data points,” he says. “There’s the image of the alligator, which is iconic to Florida. At the same time, I think the image of the alligator shredding a soccer ball is a humbling reminder that this land is ancient land and that the new soccer stadium that was built — it’s part of the newer history of Florida. It’s an acknowledg- ment of the people that came before, the de- tention center, as well as the overdeveloped architectural facade of the city.” The inclusion of the alligator was par- tially a nod to Alligator Alcatraz, the infa- mous Everglades immigration detention facility. While reports are circulating that the facility may close in the coming months, Muñoz-Tapasco wanted to ensure that peo- ple don’t forget about that awful stain on our history. “I think art has this opportunity to bring people’s awareness to something that other mediums cannot,” he explains. “People are tired, desensitized, and overstimulated. And I think art has a way of subconsciously, and sometimes very gently, creating these spaces where people are invited to question censor- ship.” The Horizons Project invites people in host cities to download the posters, hang them on their walls, or use them as street signs for the duration of the World Cup. Find all 11 posters at noiceinthecup.us. [email protected] Artist Johann C. Muñoz-Tapasco was chosen to represent Miami in a national campaign demanding ICE stay away from the World Cup. Les Gomez-Gonzalez photo “SOCCER IS A TIME FOR COMMUNITIES TO COME TOGETHER, TO BE WITH ONE ANOTHER IN SAFETY AND IN JOY.” ▼ Culture The Stories Your Friends Are Sharing FOLLOW US
