ICE detained a Venezuelan soccer pro. His case shows the immigration backlog crisis
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ICE detained a Venezuelan soccer pro. His case shows the immigration backlog crisis
Homero Calderón used to spend his days training at the gym and on the soccer pitch. The professional soccer player built a long career, playing for clubs in Venezuela, Portugal, Cyprus and, most recently, Italy.
But for the last five months, Calderón has spent his days inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Folkston, Ga.
Details
He’s a father of two U.S. citizens, ages 1 and 3. Stuck in detention, his family says he’s growing despondent. He recently missed his daughter’s first birthday.
“I’ve been 17 years with Homero,” his wife Daniela Molina said in a video published on social media. “I had never heard him cry or ask for help like he has.”
Calderón was driving to a car shop in Florida in late February when he was pulled over for speeding by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and arrested for driving without a valid Florida license, the Department of Homeland Security told NPR in a statement. Molina said her husband had a valid international driving permit.
Analysis
Calderón was eventually transferred to ICE custody. He’s been in detention ever since.
In a statement to NPR, DHS said Calderón had “permission to stay until September 5, 2025” but that “he overstayed his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws.”
But Calderón was in the middle of two pending immigration cases when he was detained: he had applied on Aug. 25, 2025 for an extension of his tourist visa, and had also applied for a visa for people with extraordinary abilities. Called EB-1A visa, it allows people with extraordinary ability or achievement in fields including athletics, science, arts, education, and business to stay in the U.S. with a green card.
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