Argentine football player Matías Pourrain is set to remain under custody in the United States at least for another week, after being detained during an immigration check.
Pourrain, 34, was arrested last Thursday by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents before a flight bound for Los Angeles was set to depart. Pourrain has been living in the U.S. since 2019, when he entered on a tourist visa.
He’s since filed an application for residency that was never formally denied. However, authorities maintained his detention because the lack of a final decision allows for this precautionary measure.
Lawyer Regina Borges confirmed to TV outlet C5N that he will be transferred to the Krome Detention Center in Florida, where he will remain in custody.
According to Borges, Pourrain is doing “a little better” than when he was arrested last Thursday and spent a few days at the ICE processing center in Miramar. She said he’s not yet among “the list of new arrivals.”
The lawyer explained that Pourrain “qualifies for bail,” and that she’s already prepared the motion to request a hearing from the court.
“I just need to know which judge is assigned and request a hearing. I think we’ll have a date by Tuesday or Wednesday,” she explained.
Thus, after he is transferred, Pourrain looks set to remain in the maximum-security immigration detention center for at least another week, while awaiting the setting of bail.
Pourrain was playing for Miami United FC, a team competing in the United Premier Soccer League. He previously played for Miami Beach FC, Miami City FC, and Club Lyon FC in the U.S. and Real Pilar in Argentina.
On Friday, the club put out a statement saying they were “deeply shocked” by the news and “fully at Matías and his family’s side, providing legal support, making an attorney available, and remaining in constant contact with his family.”
“Matías is not only an exceptional footballer, but an even better person and an important part of the Miami United family,” they said in the statement, which was published in English and Spanish.
“His teammates, coaches, staff, and the entire Club stand firmly behind him and his family. We are with you, Matías,” it concluded.
Argentine nanny detained during the World Cup
Pourrain’s case isn’t the only one of an Argentine facing problems with ICE. A woman called Iliana Lick was detained on July 11 by agents of the federal law enforcement agency at Philadelphia International Airport.
She was traveling to Kansas City with her friends to attend the Argentine national team’s match against Switzerland at the 2026 World Cup when she was detained at a security checkpoint by ICE agents, who detected an “irregular immigration status.”
Her boyfriend, a U.S. citizen Steven Melchiorre, stated that Lick had entered the country legally after obtaining a tourist visa. The 30-year-old woman’s visa was later extended, and she had reportedly begun the process of changing her immigration status and obtaining a work permit.
Lick had since begun working as a nanny for two families in Philadelphia, caring for three children between the ages of one and four.
“They adore her. To these children, Iliana isn’t just a caregiver — she’s part of their family,” wrote Melchiorre in the GoFundMe profile he created to fund her legal fees, where he has already raised more than $18,500 in donations. He also assures that Iliana has no criminal record.
Lick is currently being held at a detention center in New Mexico.
