A video shared on X has sparked discussion online after highlighting issues related to homelessness at Los Angeles International Airport ahead of the upcoming World Cup. The post focused on reports involving unhoused individuals at LAX and prompted debate about public safety, housing and how host cities are preparing for an influx of visitors.
In the city of Los Angeles, over 43,000 people experience homelessness. From the high cost of living to the housing crisis, LA struggles to provide resources to its unhoused population. Without anywhere to go, some people experiencing homelessness have found shelter at LAX. However, some travelers and residents have expressed concerns.
According to a video posted on X, there have been complications from the presence of unhoused individuals in the airport. LAX’s police force has had to deal with thousands of calls ranging from someone experiencing homelessness finding their way onto a plane to people defecating in the terminals. Even those who feel empathetic toward the unhoused struggle with this behavior. Supporters of the post described it as a growing problem. Some users argued visitors could encounter the city's homelessness crisis upon arrival.
The World Cup starts in Los Angeles this week, and the very first thing international travelers will see is homeless people
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) June 11, 2026
The homeless are everywhere at LAX
- Report shows 130 homeless individuals camping out at the terminals
- Homeless threatening to shoot passengers at… pic.twitter.com/tSNgOqivDI
X Users Debate Homelessness and Public Safety in Los Angeles
Although a study found that Los Angeles was the second safest large city in the United States, many X users were concerned for the safety of travelers. They were fearful that the unhoused community in the airport would cause harm to innocent travelers.
One X commenter wrote, "Yeah, this has gotta be canceled. No way LA can handle anything like this for a long time. Every attendee is a potential victim”. Another user wrote, “After one trip to LA, most will never wish to return.”
A third user wrote, “A country can host world-class events and still be honest about its problems. Homelessness isn't just a PR issue. It's a public safety issue. It's a mental health issue. It's a housing issue. Ignoring it helps nobody-not residents, not visitors, and certainly not the people living on the streets.”
Another one wrote, “This post is doing that thing where people take a real problem, crank up the outrage dial to eleven, and then act like they've uncovered a secret conspiracy instead of describing an issue everyone already knows exists, Los Angeles has a homelessness crisis. Nobody disputes that. Not the residents, not the airport, not the city, not the tourists. But pretending every World Cup visitor is going to step off a plane and immediately be greeted by some post-apocalyptic wasteland is less analysis and more disaster fan fiction.”
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made in the video and is reporting them as presented in the post shared on X.
