Artan, who was selected as the 2025 Confederation of African Football (Caf) Male Referee of the Year, was one of 52 referees selected for this tournament.
But his “dream” was dashed when he attempted to move to an arena refereeing base in Florida, Artan told the New York Times., external He underwent an 11-hour immigration interview and was detained for several hours before boarding a flight back to Istanbul, Turkey.
Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House World Cup task force, told the BBC World Service: “I can’t discuss derogatory content, but I can say that it was the right decision by Customs and Border Patrol, and I support that decision.”
It was impossible for Artan to stay outside the United States and officiate matches in Canada or Mexico, with all field officials based in Florida for training, preparation and security.
President Trump imposed a complete ban on entry to all visa categories for 12 countries, including Somalia, in June 2025.
Trump attracted widespread attention for his comments about Somalia ahead of a planned immigration raid in Minnesota, home to a large Somali community, two days before the 2025 World Cup draw.
“There is nothing in Somalia that is barely a state,” he said.
“They’re running around trying to kill each other. There’s no structure.”
Somali immigrants “should go back to where they came from,” he said, adding, “America will be going down the wrong path if we continue to bring trash into our country.”
Upon arriving home, Artan urged Somalia’s youth not to lose hope in their country despite his treatment, saying: “Let us all defend the honor of Somalia. Whether it is good or bad, we all belong to Somalia.”
“The flag is ours and so is our passport. Let us protect it.
“Young people should not be demoralized towards their country. If something like this happens to me, I will still defend my country.
“I want to continue my journey here and urge young people to do the same.”
