Overview
- Pourrain was arrested by U.S. immigration agents at a Florida airport on Aug. 6 while preparing to fly with Miami United FC and then spent about three weeks in multiple ICE detention centers.
- An immigration judge approved a $20,000 bond for Pourrain and his lawyer said the judge granted the release after a contested hearing in Laredo, Texas.
- His family launched a GoFundMe to raise the bail and later reports say the bond was paid, with his release still subject to completing administrative steps and travel from Texas back to Florida.
- The Department of Homeland Security says his authorized stay from a Nov. 12, 2019 entry expired in May 2020, while his defense says he has a long-pending asylum petition, a valid work permit, Florida ID and no criminal record.
- Release on bond does not end the case: Pourrain will remain subject to removal and asylum proceedings in immigration court that lawyers say could take several years and will shape whether he can stay permanently.