MIAMI (WSVN) - In the final week of preparations for the FIFA World Cup, the White House Task Force assigned to the event stopped by South Florida to discuss the enhanced security measures in place.
As South Florida prepares for hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from all over the world to visit for the World Cup, federal officials spoke about the extraordinary effort by authorities to handle the large crowds.
“I think we have an amazing story of preparedness to tell here for the World Cup,” said Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force assigned to the World Cup.
During Thursday’s visit in downtown Miami, Giuliani expanded on the measures that will be in place to keep everyone safe, both on and off the field.
“Sites will be set up similar from a safety and security perspective to the Super Bowl. You’ll see multiple perimeter checks for tickets. We wanna make sure that anybody who is getting into and certainly near the stadium, as well, that they have a ticket, that way we can prevent any security issues,” said Giuliani.
Giuliani added that these improvements stretch far beyond the gates at Miami Stadium, covering much of South Florida, including the air space above.
“There’s a three-mile temporary flight restriction around the stadium. There’s a one-mile temporary flight restriction around Bayfront Park. Zero tolerance policy. This is not the time to go and put your drone up there and take a video of what’s going. They will be confiscated and there will be consequences,” he said.
Giuliani also said that critical improvements have been made to visa processing for those millions of fans flocking to the U.S. from around the world.
“What we’ve done to create legal pathways to be able to come here to the United States for this World Cup is nothing short of incredible. We want to make sure you get your B-1, B-2 appointment, but we still have to make sure that you’re not a terrorist threat or any kind of issue to the country,” he said.
The executive director highlighted that this World Cup is the first major Olympic-style sporting event held in the United States with post-Sept. 11 attack security procedures in place.
He emphasized that while crowds for the World Cup are expected to be unprecedented, authorities handling security for the event are up to the task.
“We want people to be able to come here and enjoy this World Cup while also making sure we can keep the country safe,” said Giuliani.
Officials advised ticketholders to prepare for around five separate security checkpoints at Miami Stadium. To ensure a smooth process passing through security, it’s recommended to arrive early.
You can catch all the World Cup action on WSVN-7. Coverage for the first match between Mexico and South Africa starts at 1 p.m. on June 11.
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