An Argentine footballer who was due to travel with his team to Los Angeles for a national final has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Miami airport, his attorney said.
Matías Alejandro Pourrain, 34, who plays for Miami United FC, has been in the United States since 2019 after entering on a tourist visa and — according to his lawyer — has a work permit that is currently valid. The lawyer, Regina de Moraes, told Telemundo 51 that Pourrain’s broader immigration application remains pending.
What happened at the airport
De Moraes said the events began last Thursday while the team was at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening and waiting to board a flight bound for Los Angeles for the UPSL final. She described the encounter as calm.
“They asked for his name, he confirmed his name, and they said they needed to ask him a couple of questions,” de Moraes said. “There was no commotion or a fight, nothing.”
According to the attorney, three men in plainclothes approached Pourrain and separated him from his teammates. Team personnel who know the lawyer contacted her; she then reached out to ICE officers and was told Pourrain would be detained and that he could either seek bond with an immigration judge or sign for voluntary self-deportation.
Custody and transfers
De Moraes said Pourrain was first taken to an ICE detention centre in Miramar. He remained there until Saturday, when she said he began being transferred to the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami. The ICE detainee locator confirms he is in custody, but it does not specify the facility.
Telemundo 51 contacted ICE but, as of the reporting cited by the attorney, ICE had not confirmed the details of the detention or which agency carried it out.
Legal and criminal-record status
De Moraes emphasised that Pourrain has no criminal record. She said he had never been arrested for offences such as driving under the influence, domestic violence or theft. Telemundo 51 checked local records and did not find police records with his name in Miami‑Dade and Broward counties, the reporting said.
- Name: Matías Alejandro Pourrain
- Age: 34
- Team: Miami United FC
- US entry: 2019 on a tourist visa
- Immigration status: pending application; currently valid work permit (reported by attorney)
- Detention: taken into ICE custody at Miami airport; detainee locator confirms custody but not facility
| Event | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Airport encounter | Approached by three men in plainclothes while at TSA screening |
| Initial detention site | ICE detention centre in Miramar (reported by attorney) |
| Subsequent transfer | Reported transfer to Krome North Service Processing Center |
What this means for travel and teams
Airport detentions of non‑citizens can have immediate consequences for teams travelling internationally: players can miss matches, and organisations may be left scrambling to adjust rosters and logistics. The reporting cited here highlights an instance in which a player with a current work permit and no local criminal record was nevertheless detained while attempting to board a flight for a competition.
For clubs, agents and players who travel frequently, the case underscores the importance of ensuring immigration paperwork is in order and being prepared to respond if a player is questioned at a border control point or security checkpoint. It also raises questions about the communication and transparency of immigration authorities when detentions occur in transit areas.
As of the latest reporting, ICE had not provided confirmation about the detention details or the agency responsible for the airport stop. The detainee locator confirms custody but does not identify the holding facility.
Pourrain’s situation remains fluid: his attorney described available legal options including seeking bond before an immigration judge or agreeing to voluntary self‑deportation. Further developments will depend on decisions by ICE and any hearings before immigration authorities.
This report is based on the details provided to Telemundo 51 by the player’s attorney and the ICE detainee‑locator status available at the time of reporting.
