An Argentine footballer was detained by US immigration authorities at a Florida airport as he prepared to travel to Los Angeles for a national championship final, his club and family say. Matias Alejandro Pourrain, 34, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on 6 August at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

He was travelling with Miami United FC to play Deportivo Rose City in the 2026 UPSL National Championship Final at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on the UCLA campus.

Miami United later lost the final 3-1 to the Portland-based Deportivo side. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Newsweek that Pourrain had entered the US legally through Atlanta on 12 November 2019.

The agency said he had been authorised to remain in the country for six months, but stayed beyond 11 May 2020, when his period of admission expired. “Pourrain will remain in ICE custody pending his removal proceedings and will receive full due process,” the DHS spokesperson said.

Pourrain’s brother, Juan Pourrain, confirmed his detention to Argentine media. He told Todo Noticias that his brother had applied for asylum and had a Social Security number and employment authorisation. “He was with an asylum permit, but he was with Social Security, with a work permit, he had all the papers in order, but he was waiting for the appointment,” Juan Pourrain said. “It is clear that now they are grabbing those who have the appointment pending,” he added.

The circumstances surrounding Pourrain’s immigration case have not been independently established. His lawyer, Regina Borges, told Noticias Telemundo that she had spoken with him after his detention. “I spoke with my client, Matías, on the phone. He was very scared, he cried a little too,” she said.

Pourrain was being held at an ICE processing centre in Miramar, Florida, Borges said. “Because it is not yet a detention center, it is only a processing center,” she added.

Miami United FC said it was “deeply shocked” by Pourrain’s detention and that it was supporting him and his family, including by providing legal assistance.

The club described him as “an exceptional footballer” and “an important part of the Miami United family”. His teammates, coaches and staff “stand firmly behind him and his family”, it said. Pourrain was playing for fourth-tier Miami United at the time of his detention.

He also competed for Showtime FC in the Baller League, a small-sided football competition, according to El País.

He has previously played for Club de Lyon FC in Florida and Real Pilar in Argentina. Club de Lyon FC also expressed support for him.

The club said it hoped he could “continue his immigration process in freedom while his case moves through the legal system” and described him as “someone deeply loved by the people around him”.

“Matías was not attempting to enter or leave the United States. He was simply traveling from one US city to another,” the club said.

Pourrain’s detention comes as the Trump administration expands immigration enforcement across the US. ICE officers have increasingly targeted travellers accused of overstaying visas and other immigration violations, with The New York Times reporting that federal agents have made arrests at airport check-in counters and departure gates using passenger information from government databases.

The DHS has said Pourrain will remain in ICE custody while his removal proceedings continue. His case is now before the US immigration system, where he is entitled to due process.