Immigration raid puts Mexican football fans on the edge of the gold cup

They played football at Sofi Stadium on Saturday.

Not the person that many people really care about.

Mexico won the victory, beating the Dominican Republic 3-2 in the first game of the one-month CONCACAF Gold Cup. However, even the team’s biggest fans are hard to celebrate, given what’s just a dozen miles away, on the eighth day, hundreds of people were in front of police, the National Guard and the U.S. Marines protested against federal immigration attacks against the Latino community.

“When Mexico plays, it’s a celebration, right? But no, no.” Nom de Guerre The leader of the Mexican national team in the United States’ largest supporter group, Pancho Villa’s Army – a group founded by Texas prosecutor and National Guard Colonel Sergio Tristan, who spent 30 months on the front line in Iraq and was a U.S. Army infantry.

They can’t celebrate because many people in the Southern California Latino community (none of citizens and immigrants are on record) are targets for Icefield Agents. So they stay away from Saturday’s game and think it will be the target environment on the ice.

In response, Pancho Villa’s army confined the band to the barracks and canceled their traditionally happy front and rear baffle party. The same goes for two other major support groups of the U.S. National Team, Cielto Lindo and Patrones DeMéxico.

“We don’t feel like we celebrate in music and food [when] Our siblings, cousins ​​and mothers are all plagued by what is going on.

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced on social media that federal agents would provide security for the FIFA club’s World Cup, which also opened in South Florida on Saturday, sparking concerns about football fans who can be targeted in immigration seats. However, the security presence at Sophie Stadium is normal, obviously limited to uniform police and ubiquitous yellow stamped workers from private company contemporary service companies.

“Everything,” El Coronel said, breathing a sigh of relief, “very calm.”

But what are you worried about Can Most of the top deck that happens is left empty, while the lower bowl is only half-filled. Mexico’s last three games in Sofi have averaged more than 64,000 attendance; it attracted a frequent rise of people on Saturday, declaring 54,309.

El Monte’s Carmen Garcia is here, but barely. She bought a $350 VIP ticket a month ago, but once the ice raid started, she had a second idea.

“I’m trying to get a refund,” she said in Spanish. “They said no. So we’re here, but we’re not happy.”

One person who was not in is Daniel Fuentes of Los Angeles, but gathered with a group of anti-ice protesters from across the stadium hours before the game began.

He said in Spanish: “I’m a football fan, but today we’re not in football.” “What Donald Trump is doing is unfair, bringing up our workers saying they’re criminals, and that’s not the case.

“They are against us Latino, saying we are the worst.”

The Mexican Football Federation has approximately one-third of the annual revenue in the U.S. through the country’s large Mexican and Mexican-American fan bases. For example, the team’s U.S. Tour was said to generate $31 million before the 2022 World Cup football game.

Fan tailgate in Sofi Stadium parking lot ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup match between Mexico and the Dominican Republic on Saturday.

(Wally Skalij/AP)

But while these fans have long supported the team, the team decided to remain silent given the opportunity to reward favor. Media were told that the Mexican-born Spanish immigrant son, Coach Javier Aguirre, whose players will only answer questions about football.

The team broke the silence after the game.

Aguire said in the Spanish: “The best way to support them is to give them more than just victory, hard work. People use their flag, their anthem to identify with their anthem, and they give their all. That’s what we focus on.

“We are football professionals and it’s the best way to represent our fellow countrymen in this moment – it’s a complex moment. We have to do our best in the field. Today, apart from the results, people are happy with everything they see. They don’t see apathy, they don’t see a discouragement, they don’t see a team, they don’t see a competitive team. They give us the best support. They give us the support. They give us the support.”

Former galaxy defender Julian Araujo, who was once the son of an uncultured Mexican immigrant, said he has been paying attention to news from afar.

“Obviously, with my parents’ background, it’s ugly and hard to see,” said Araujo, who played for Bournemouth in the Premier League. “I don’t know what to say. We all know what’s going on. It’s sad. I hope things will change. I hope things can change quickly. I can support it here.

“I woke up to what I saw. Obviously, it’s something I don’t want to see. It’s definitely something that needs to be changed.”

The dominant Gold Cup champion Mexico began slowly defending its title in the Biennale’s 16-team championship. The Dominican Republic ranked 139th in the world for the first time and was frustrated most of the first half for Edson Alvarez Header, which left Mexico with one minute before the halftime break.

Less than two minutes in the second half, Raúl Jiménez took the crowd away from sleepiness, chased a free throw area from Santiago Giménez, and finished his lead with his right foot from the edge of the six-yard box.

Peter González cut the Dominican Republic’s deficit in half in the 51st minute of Mexico’s César Montes and Dominican’s Edison Azcona.

Montes’ goal was first, and one jumper beat several players on the jumper inside the left goal post in the 53rd minute. It was initially considered Alvarez, which would have given him the first support with the national team. Instead, he settled on the assist.

Azcona answered with a right foot shot from the left wing, bounced up from Mexican defender and over-sighted goalkeeper Luis Malagon.

The teams headed to Arlington, Texas for the second group stage game Wednesday, with Mexico facing Suriname and the Dominican Republic playing Costa Rica. The U.S. opened its Golden Cup schedule with Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday in San Jose.

Eduard Cauich, an employee, contributed to the story.