{"id":368441,"date":"2026-08-11T14:50:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/368441\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T14:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:50:07","slug":"ice-detains-argentinian-semipro-soccer-player-at-miami-area-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/368441\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE detains Argentinian semipro soccer player at Miami area airport"},"content":{"rendered":"

A semi-professional Miami soccer team was \u201cshocked\u201d last week after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> (ICE) agents arrested one of its players at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as they were set to depart for a game in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Miami United Football Club (a semi-pro team based in Hialeah that plays in the fourth tier of soccer in the nation<\/a>) announced the arrest of 34-year-old Argentinian midfielder Mat\u00edas Pourrain on Aug. 7. The arrest comes as ICE is cracking down on immigrants in airports, where arrests have surged since July, according to The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The team was traveling to the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)<\/a> National Championship in Los Angeles, which they lost 3-1 to Portland-based Deportivo Rose City. Miami United posted an official statement about the arrest on Instagram before the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiami United FC was deeply shocked by the detention of our player Mat\u00edas Pourrain before he departed for Los Angeles,\u201d according to the statement. \u201cFrom the very first moment, the club has been fully at Mat\u00edas and his family\u2019s side, providing legal support, making an attorney available, and remaining in constant contact with his family.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are cooperating with all parties involved and doing everything within our ability to help resolve this situation in the best possible way. Mat\u00edas is not only an exceptional footballer, but an even better person and an important part of the Miami United family. His teammates, coaches, staff, and the entire club stand firmly behind him and his family. We are with you, Mat\u00edas.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials haven\u2019t responded to New Times\u2019 email seeking comment. But a DHS spokesperson told\u00a0Newsweek<\/a>, \u201cPourrain was admitted to the United States legally through Atlanta on Nov. 12, 2019, and was authorized to remain in the country for six months.\u201d When that period of admission expired, on May 11, 2020, Pourrain stayed in the U.S., the agency continued.<\/p>\n

His brother, Juan Pourrain, told Argentinian outlet Todo Noticias<\/a> that the man had sought asylum and possessed a Social Security number and authorization to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had asylum status, but he also had Social Security, a work permit, all his papers were in order, but he was waiting for his appointment.\u00a0It seems that now they are arresting those who have pending appointments.\u201d Juan Pourrain told the publication.<\/p>\n

According DHS\u2019 detainee database, Mat\u00edas Pourrain is in custody at the Glades County Detention Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

DHS sent New Times an emailed statement. \u201cOn August 6, 2026, ICE arrested Matias Alejandro Pourrain, an illegal alien from Argentina, at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport. On November 12, 2019, Pourrain was legally admitted into the country at the Atlanta Intercontinental Airport, with permission to stay for six months. He chose to stay beyond May 11, 2020, in violation of our nation\u2019s laws,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cPourrain will remain in ICE custody pending his removal proceedings and will receive full due process.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream,\u201d a DHS spokesperson wrote. \u201cIf not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.\u201d<\/p>\n

His attorney didn\u2019t respond to New Times\u2019 call or email requesting comment by press time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A semi-professional Miami soccer team was \u201cshocked\u201d last week after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368442,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250,2161,1841,2908,2062],"class_list":["post-368441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-government","tag-immigration","tag-national-spotlight","tag-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}