Argentine footballer Matías Pourrain released on bail by ICE in US

Argentine football player Matas Pourrain is expected to return to his home in Florida after spending 21 days in the custody of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On Wednesday, a court in Texas set his bond at US$20,000, allowing him to leave detention while his immigration proceedings continue.  Regina Borges de Moraes, Pourrains attorney, said the bond was paid on Thursday.  Release on bond does not mean the end of the case. The immigration proceedings will continue in Immigration Court and could take several years. However, Pourrain will remain in the U.S. and will not be deported to Argentina while the legal proceedings continue. He will also be able to continue playing football. The 34-year-old athlete currently plays for Miami United FC. His footballing career began in Argentina at Club Real Pilar, where he was part of the team’s historic victory over Vlez in the 2019 Copa Argentina.  He moved to the United States that same year, playing for Miami Beach FC, Miami City and Club de Lyon, before transferring to his current club. He has also participated in the Baller League, a six-a-side soccer competition. Why he was detained Pourrain, who has no criminal record, was detained by ICE agents on Aug. 7 at Miami airport while traveling with his team to Los Angeles for a match. The football player spent his first three days at the ICE Processing Center in Miramar, where he shared a small cell with 68 other men, had to sleep sitting up and was given food that his defense team described as “fit for animals.” He was then transferred to a state jail in Texas, where the U.S. immigration agency leases part of the facility. From the beginning, his defense team said that the detention was not the result of a criminal offense, but rather an administrative matter related to his immigration status.  They added that he was not in the United States illegally and had a work permit while awaiting a decision on his application for a green card, or permanent residency. He was detained because the residence permit has not yet been approved, but it has not been denied either, so he is in a legal limbo, Borges de Moraes explained.