The 34-year-old midfielder was preparing to travel to Los Angeles with his Miami United teammates for a road trip when ICE agents detained him at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Aug. 6, according to The Athletic.
Pourrain joined the United Premier Soccer League side in January. He has lived in Florida since 2019, initially entering the country on a tourist visa before obtaining a work permit.
According to Pourrain, the incident began when he handed his driver's license to two ICE agents at the airport. The agents then asked him for additional identification, including his passport.
The soccer player said he was subsequently taken away from the airport and placed inside an unmarked van. His hands and ankles were reportedly restrained with handcuffs as he was transported to detention.
Pourrain described the following 22 days as an extremely difficult experience. He alleged that detainees were served food covered in mold and were forced to sleep in unhygienic conditions.
One of his biggest concerns was access to clean drinking water. Pourrain said the water fountain was located near an area where detainees urinated, making him uncomfortable about drinking from it.
He also described overcrowded sleeping arrangements, claiming some detainees had to sleep next to toilets. According to Pourrain, the conditions meant people sleeping nearby could be exposed to urine.
The Argentine said some of the bread served to detainees had black spots that he believed were mold.
After spending four days at one facility, Pourrain was transferred to another detention center in South Florida. He was later moved to a facility in Laredo, Texas, where he remained until his release.
Pourrain was eventually freed on Aug. 28 after his family paid a $20,000 bond. His immigration case remains pending.
Reflecting on his time in custody, Pourrain described the ordeal as the most difficult experience of his life.
"It was torture," he said, adding that the experience left him feeling mentally terrified.
Despite what he endured, Pourrain said he has also experienced positive moments during his years in the United States. He currently coaches at an academy in Key Biscayne and said the support he received from parents, members of the local community and American citizens following his detention was overwhelming.
The soccer player is now awaiting the next steps in his immigration case while continuing to receive support from those around him.
