Vozinha’s mother, Ana Candida Evora, will now be able to secure a visa in time to attend Cape Verde’s game Sunday against Uruguay, Jeffries said.
“All fees have been waived consistent with official policy. Travel arrangements are now being made for mother and son to reunite in Miami,” he said. “I thank Secretary Rubio, US State Department officials, the government of Cabo Verde and Fifa for working together to make this possible.”
In President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration has required travellers from dozens of countries to post a reimbursable bond of up to US$15,000 when applying for a US visitor visa.
Trump administration policies have also upended travel plans for those from several countries hoping to come to the United States to participate in or celebrate the World Cup.
Iran’s entire team had to relocate its training base to Tijuana, Mexico, over concerns that its members would not be allowed into the United States. Ultimately, visa applications for 15 members of the team’s support staff were rejected. On Monday, Iran played New Zealand in Los Angeles, and the Iranian squad’s coach said the team was ordered to leave the US just hours after the end of the game and return to Mexico.
This month, as teams and staff from Fifa, global soccer’s governing body, began making their way to the US, a World Cup referee from Somalia was denied entry. Omar Artan, considered one of the best referees in Africa, was set to become the first from his country to officiate at a World Cup. He was denied entry in Miami despite having a US visa because of what authorities described as unspecified “vetting concerns”.
Democrats have been critical of efforts by the Trump administration to curtail visas during the World Cup. Last week, House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar said that Trump’s anti-immigrant policies were damaging to the US during the World Cup and that data has shown that many would-be tourists chose to visit Canada or Mexico instead.
“Clearly the Trump administration and their behaviour and the punitive way in which they look at immigration policy is clouding [the US’] performance when it comes to giving visas,” Aguilar said.
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