{"id":9703,"date":"2026-07-18T16:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9703"},"modified":"2026-07-18T16:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:06:38","slug":"a-soccer-tournament-in-california-is-helping-immigrants-heal-after-ice-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9703","title":{"rendered":"A soccer tournament in California is helping immigrants heal after ICE detention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"anchor-2480c1\" class=\"body-graf\">The first time Pedro Ay\u00f3n and Seraf\u00edn Andrade played soccer together was when they were both in ICE detention at a center in McFarland, California, a few years ago.<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"styles_subscriptionCTA__LOUeY\" id=\"subscriptionCTA\" type=\"button\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,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\" alt=\"NBC News Icon\" class=\"styles_icon__wRwWv\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"styles_textWrapper__vxvko\">\n<p class=\"styles_text__daaVB styles_textLarge__qlzwu\">Subscribe to read this story ad-free<\/p>\n<p class=\"styles_text__daaVB\">Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/rockcms\/2026-01\/arrow-f55fa5.svg\" alt=\"arrow\" class=\"styles_arrow__tnruW\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/button><\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-d50d18\" class=\"body-graf\">Ay\u00f3n, born in Mexico and raised in the U.S., spent eight months in detention in 2021. Since no visits were allowed due to the pandemic, his only option to see people was to go out to the yard to kick a ball around with his fellow inmates.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-8d838e\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cWhen we were allowed recreation for an hour, half an hour, we often went out and that was a way to feel free, to enjoy ourselves, to be able to share and in any way forget about the situation we were in,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a ball, right? But it does things you wouldn\u2019t think of \u2014\u00a0being able to heal people just by kicking the ball around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-eae9c3\" class=\"body-graf\">Amid the confinement and the sadness of being away from his family, soccer allowed Ay\u00f3n to forge great friendships like the one with Andrade, who spent a year and a half in immigration detention at the same center, McFarland\u2019s Central Valley Annex.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii\" id=\"anchor-a4a5a0\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"762\" data-original-width=\"1190\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/serafin-y-pedro-029769.png 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/serafin-y-pedro-029769.png 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/serafin-y-pedro-029769.png 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/serafin-y-pedro-029769.png 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/serafin-y-pedro-029769.png\" alt=\"Seraf\u00edn Andrade y Pedro Ay\u00f3n en el torneo &quot;Just Goals&quot;.\" height=\"762\" width=\"1190\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Seraf\u00edn Andrade and Pedro Ay\u00f3n at the CCIJust Goals tournament at the University of San Francisco in June.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Pedro Ay\u00f3n<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-c36fc6\" class=\"body-graf\">The power of play to heal the trauma of detention led a group of people to create a soccer tournament in California that brings together worlds that rarely intersect on a field: former ICE detainees, family members of those still incarcerated, immigration lawyers, activists and community organizers. The teams are mixed, so men and women play on the same field, divided into four pitches where they face off in five-a-side matches.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-7e9c08\" class=\"body-graf\">The idea was simple: to organize an annual tournament to share experiences, play sports and raise funds to help people detained and those released from ICE facilities. Thus, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__http:\/ccijustice.org\/ccijustgoals__;!!PIZeeW5wscynRQ!r1xYvErlFDYHRG4Tvp-pEcjHDhSYtCR0hwqf7Ut7jNxzGuow7wiW1hqyI5bwwtOk2vJSJYWz_fkH2XwetIlw$\" target=\"_blank\">CCIJust Goals\u201d<\/a> was born, and in June it celebrated its fourth edition at the Negoesco Stadium at the University of San Francisco. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-01b154\" class=\"body-graf\">One hundred amateur soccer players participated this year, divided into 10 teams and caught up in the spirit of the World Cup, which had just begun.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-d4cd01\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cMany people arrived wearing jerseys of their countries, or of other nations. They were very excited to have that connection with the World Cup,\u201d said Edwin Carmona-Cruz, executive director of California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ), a nonprofit organization that uses legal services to fight for the release and empowerment of immigrants detained in California.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii\" id=\"anchor-42ce94\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"1534\" data-original-width=\"2354\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/Team-Huelgadores-brookeanderson-13dfea.png 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/Team-Huelgadores-brookeanderson-13dfea.png 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/Team-Huelgadores-brookeanderson-13dfea.png 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/Team-Huelgadores-brookeanderson-13dfea.png 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/Team-Huelgadores-brookeanderson-13dfea.png\" alt=\"&quot;Los Huelgadores&quot;, uno de los equipos de personas inmigrantes que participa en el torneo &quot;Just Goals&quot;.\" height=\"1534\" width=\"2354\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">The Strikers, the team from the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, are one of the teams participating in the CCIJust Goals tournament. <\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Brooke Anderson \/ CCIJ<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-6af9c3\" class=\"body-graf\">Carmona-Cruz recalls that during legal consultations with detainees, he repeatedly heard the same thing: \u201cMany people inside tell us, \u2018That\u2019s the moment when I feel free and I can be on a team with someone from another country who doesn\u2019t speak my language, but we\u2019re on the same team and we\u2019re fighting for the same thing.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-1fc4e3\" class=\"body-graf\">As evidenced by the World Cup, Carmona-Cruz said, soccer speaks a universal language. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-cfa53c\" class=\"body-graf\">To participate in the CCIJust Goals tournament, each team must raise at least $1,000 to register, and, according to Carmona-Cruz, the funds are used to support legal services for people currently detained by ICE, such as a Salvadoran man who is currently being held at the California City Detention Facility.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-eeeb13\" class=\"body-graf\">Speaking to Noticias Telemundo from the facility, the Salvadoran detainee, who asked to remain anonymous, said that he and others play soccer during their daily recreation hour in the center\u2019s yard.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-68e5a1\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cWe only get one hour of recreation to go out to the yard. The other 23 hours we are locked up, in the cell or in the dormitory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-570b7e\" class=\"body-graf\">The detainee said that after organizing the teams, they have about 40 minutes left to play: \u201cThey are the best 40 minutes of the day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-53c6a4\" class=\"body-graf\">Some of the balls don\u2019t have too much air, he noted. \u201cThere are people who love scoring goals and, even if the ball is punctured, that\u2019s how we play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii\" id=\"anchor-b16c32\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"1534\" data-original-width=\"2370\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/logo-huelgadores--brookeanderson-9-9e2d21.png 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/logo-huelgadores--brookeanderson-9-9e2d21.png 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/logo-huelgadores--brookeanderson-9-9e2d21.png 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/logo-huelgadores--brookeanderson-9-9e2d21.png 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/logo-huelgadores--brookeanderson-9-9e2d21.png\" alt=\"El logo dise\u00f1ado por Juan, un inmigrante detenido en California City, para el equipo &quot;Los Huelgadores&quot;.\" height=\"1534\" width=\"2370\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">The logo for The Strikers was designed by a Salvadoran immigrant detainee at the California City Detention Facility. <\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Brooke Anderson \/ CCIJ<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-20277b\" class=\"body-graf\">The Salvadoran immigrant said it was hard not being able to watch the World Cup matches on TV. And although he couldn\u2019t participate in the Just Goals tournament in San Francisco, he designed the logo for the uniform worn by the CCIJ team, which is called The Strikers, a direct reference to the protests inside detention centers. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-3ad8ea\" class=\"body-graf\">The Salvadoran immigrant, who\u2019s been drawing since he was a child, took a week to draw the team\u2019s logo, which features the colors orange, yellow and navy blue. He hopes to play on the team, he said, when he\u2019s out of detention.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-b72f6c\" class=\"body-heading\">\u2018Soccer has united us\u2019<\/h2>\n<p id=\"anchor-89ea9b\" class=\"body-graf\">The CCIJust Goals tournament has allowed participants \u2014  whether they are former detained immigrants, activists, or lawyers \u2014\u00a0 to meet and share their experiences beyond immigration courtrooms and detention centers.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-5dcaf2\" class=\"body-graf\">One of the people who best embodies that meeting of worlds is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asianlawcaucus.org\/about\/our-team\" target=\"_blank\">Lee Ann Felder-Heim<\/a>, an immigration lawyer from the Asian Law Caucus organization. She has participated in three of the four tournaments that have been held, scoring goals as a midfielder.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-796995\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cI grew up playing soccer and I love soccer,\u201d said Felder-Heim, 36, who learned to play on Arizona fields when she was 6. \u201cWhen I\u2019m stressed, I find a field, play with my friends, and it\u2019s the same thing that people in detention do when they finally get an hour to go outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-dba964\" class=\"body-graf\">Accustomed to \u201cvery heavy and formal\u201d conversations with clients and colleagues, Felder-Heim values \u200b\u200bthe tournament as an opportunity to have fun and \u201ccelebrate the things that unite us, such as our love of soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-988ab7\" class=\"body-heading\">Connecting and healing trauma<\/h2>\n<p id=\"anchor-9884fd\" class=\"body-graf\">What Pedro Ay\u00f3n remembers most about the matches when he was in immigration detention was not the competition, he said, but the brotherhood between people who did not share the same language: Russians, Japanese, Chinese, Latin Americans, all became brothers by kicking the same ball.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-12f3e9\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cFootball was more than a game. It was more than a code. It was more than a sport. It was the way we could connect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a4e0d7\" class=\"body-graf\">Ay\u00f3n\u2019s experience is backed by science. A <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/ajcp.70074\" target=\"_blank\">study published in May<\/a> in the American Journal of Community Psychology by researchers from Rutgers University and Arizona State University, based on 529 Latino immigrants, demonstrated that a safe and inclusive environment is linked to a decrease in anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a2ca62\" class=\"body-graf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gsapp.rutgers.edu\/germ%C3%A1n-cadenas\" target=\"_blank\">Germ\u00e1n Cadenas<\/a>, director of the Global Mental Health and Immigration programs at Rutgers University and the study\u2019s co-author, said playing soccer can be a form of \u201ccollective care and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a7bbac\" class=\"body-graf\">Andrade, 41, who came from Mexico at the age of 4, said that when he was in immigration detention, \u201cwe used to play five-a-side tournaments because the field was so small, and that helped us with the stress, so we wouldn\u2019t think about the bad things that were happening to us.\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-52ce86\" class=\"body-graf\">He recalled being detained with people from Armenia, Germany, India, Canada and other countries. Andrade, who is currently studying sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, believes that the experience of playing soccer was fundamental in healing the trauma of the immigration arrest.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-689dd4\" class=\"body-graf\">Ay\u00f3n works in Sacramento helping people reintegrate to society after incarceration and is also a student at a community college. Like Andrade, both are actively involved with Just Goals.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b92090\" class=\"body-graf\">Ay\u00f3n still remembers what he felt when he went to his first tournament after he was out of immigration detention. \u201cI felt free, I felt joyful, I felt blessed, I felt blissful, and I felt part of a community. I felt that part of me was representing my comrades who were still detained, because I know how football united us in there and made us forget.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-af40fe\" class=\"body-heading\">Scrutiny over detention conditions<\/h2>\n<p id=\"anchor-c6a922\" class=\"body-graf\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/data-graphics\/us-immigration-tracker-follow-arrests-detentions-border-crossings-rcna189148\" target=\"_blank\">NBC News data, <\/a>there were more than 60,000 immigrants detained in the U.S. at the beginning of April.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-5b1b23\" class=\"body-graf\">In California, the immigrant detainee population in California grew by 162% between 2023 and 2025.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-d2405f\" class=\"body-graf\">The state\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oag.ca.gov\/system\/files\/media\/immigration-detention-2026.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"> fifth report on immigration detention centers <\/a>published in May by California\u2019s Department of Justice stated that six detainee deaths took place between September 2025 and March 2026 \u2014 the most since the state\u2019s DOJ has compiled these reports. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b6c8ce\" class=\"body-graf\">The report stated it found \u201cdeclining conditions\u201d for detainees, including \u201cinadequate medical care, delay in medical treatment, overcrowding, inadequate food, excessive use of force by detention facility guards.\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-9fd60f\" class=\"body-graf\">In the case of California City \u2014 the center where the Salvadoran immigrant is being detained \u2014 the report documented inadequate access to recreational and outdoor activities.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-3d4917\" class=\"body-graf\">Telemundo Noticias requested comments from ICE and Core Civic, the company that manages California City, but did not receive a response.  <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-870425\" class=\"body-graf\">The Salvadoran immigrant was able to watch some Just Goals matches from the tournament through a tablet. Other inmates in Kern County did the same, cheering via video while the tournament was being played in San Francisco. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-e8a84a\" class=\"body-graf\">When asked how he felt about participating remotely as a spectator, the Salvadoran immigrant replied that it felt good to be part of something. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-e41645\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cIt\u2019s another connection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-8d2eee\" class=\"body-graf\">For Carmona-Cruz, that connection is the heart of the tournament, and this year\u2019s World Cup gives it a special resonance. \u201cWe use the tournament as a bridge between something like soccer and a topic as complex as immigration,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know that with the World Cup, this can be replicated and implemented in other parts of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b40e1f\" class=\"endmark body-graf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telemundo.com\/noticias\/noticias-telemundo\/estados-unidos\/torneo-futbol-california-inmigrante-sanar-trauma-detencion-ice-mundial-rcna353757\" target=\"_blank\">An earlier version of this story was first published in Noticias Telemundo.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first time Pedro Ay\u00f3n and Seraf\u00edn Andrade played soccer together was when they were both in ICE detention at a center in McFarland, California, a few years ago. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Ay\u00f3n, born in Mexico and raised in the U.S., spent eight&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/huelgadores-jugando-brookeanderson-31-c58d05.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}