This Is My District: Ro Khanna Joins Protesters Outside Super Bowl To Denounce ICE

India-West News Desk

SANTA CLARA, CA – “This is my district and this is a time for elected leaders to be outside with people,” U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna said on February 8, standing on the sidewalk outside Levi’s Stadium as Super Bowl LX crowds streamed past security checkpoints.

Rather than watching the game from a luxury suite, he said, he had chosen to protest ICE agents at the nation’s biggest sporting event, saying his role as the district’s representative required him to be visible and accessible to constituents.

Khanna, who represents the Silicon Valley district that includes the stadium, said he had repeatedly urged both the NFL and the Trump administration to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement away from the Super Bowl.

“I’ve communicated to the NFL and to the administration to keep ICE out,” the Democratic Congressman said. “But I think physically being here in the community makes a big difference.”

Khanna’s appearance came amid weeks of conflicting signals from Washington and the NFL about whether ICE would be involved in enforcement activity during the game. NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier had recently said she was confident immigration agents would not conduct operations at the Super Bowl. That reassurance contrasted with earlier remarks from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had suggested a tougher enforcement posture.

According to Khanna, that uncertainty triggered a wave of concern from constituents. He said his office received a surge of calls and emails from residents worried about attending the game or even traveling near the stadium. In response, Khanna kept his district office open on Super Bowl Sunday, prepared to assist anyone who encountered ICE agents or needed immediate legal guidance.

Outside the stadium, the protest remained peaceful but pointed with protestors  holding up “ICE out” signs and criticizing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. There were no counter-protesters, and authorities reported no arrests.

Khanna joined the demonstrators, later posting on social media that while the Super Bowl was taking place in his district, he chose not to be in the suites. “I was with activists in my district demanding no new funding for ICE,” he wrote.