Argentine nanny released from ICE custody as footballers case remains in limbo

Iliana Lick, an Argentine nanny who was detained nearly a month ago in the United States by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been released after her family and partner raised money to pay the US$10,000 bond set by immigration authorities.   Lick, who is from Buenos Aires, had entered the U.S. in 2023 on a tourist visa that had expired.  She was living in Pennsylvania and was detained in July while traveling to Kansas City with friends to attend the World Cup match the Argentine national team played against Switzerland.  Her boyfriend, U.S. citizen Steven Melchiorre, confirmed the release in a post on the platform where he had launched a fundraising campaign. He said there had been “countless phone calls, legal procedures, and several transfers between different states” during Lick’s month in custody. According to Melchiorre, the 30-year-old woman who worked as a nanny for two families in Philadelphia had begun the process of changing her immigration status and obtaining a work permit when she was detained. He described her release as “an enormous victory” and thanked those who had supported the cause. “This is not the end of Iliana’s immigration case, but tonight we are celebrating an important milestone,” he said on Tuesday. The fundraising campaign had sought to cover the US$10,000 bond, but with more than 220 donations, it brought in over $18,000, according to the Herald’s sister publication Ámbito. The Department of Homeland Security said that a work authorization or a pending application does not confer legal status in the U.S. and that her release, therefore, does not mean the case has been resolved. Argentine footballer remains in custody Meanwhile, Argentine football player Matías Pourrain, who had been living in the U.S. since 2019, remains in ICE custody after his arrest on August 6 at Miami International Airport while he was preparing to board a flight with his team, Miami United FC, for a match in Los Angeles. Pourrain’s attorney, Regina Borges de Moraes, said his situation was a “legal limbo.” She explained that his residence permit had neither been approved nor denied when he was detained. “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 said. The attorney said Pourrain was expected to appear at a hearing this week to request “the right to bail,” which would allow him to continue working in the U.S. while waiting for his residence permit. Borges de Moraes also described the detention as arbitrary, saying that nothing similar had happened in any of his previous immigration proceedings. Pourrain’s brother said the footballer had been under an asylum permit and also had a work authorization but was waiting for an appointment. “He had all his paperwork in order, but he was waiting for the appointment. Apparently, they are now picking up people who have an appointment pending,” he said.