Soccer has become a source of joy and community for former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees in the San Francisco area. The California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice recently hosted its annual Just Goals tournament, which brought together teams of former detainees, lawyers, and volunteers from several immigration nonprofits.

A Community of Support

The tournament, which coincided with the start of the World Cup, featured eight teams that had to raise at least $1,000 to register. The event ultimately raised over $16,000. For participants like Serafin Andrade, a 41-year-old who was once detained by ICE, the tournament is a chance to connect with others who have shared similar experiences.

Andrade, who is close to graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, and plays for Los Vuelgadores, one of the teams formed four years ago, said that soccer was a source of comfort during his time in detention. "While we were in detention, soccer was the only real thing we could do physically, outside of the confines of the detention center, and it used to bring us a lot of joy," he said.

A Broader Impact

The tournament also highlighted the challenges faced by immigrants in the United States, including visa difficulties and detention. Several national players and staff from the World Cup had their visas denied or faced travel restrictions, and some participants in the Just Goals tournament are currently in ICE detention.

Despite these challenges, the tournament was a celebration of community and resilience. As Edwin Carmona-Cruz, the executive director of Just Goals, said, "Joy is an act of resistance." The event showed that even in difficult times, people can come together and find support and connection through shared activities like soccer.

Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.