HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Venezuelan soccer pro detained five months while visa applications sit in USCIS backlog

Aug 15, 2026 · FL, Venezuela

Venezuelan soccer pro detained five months while visa applications sit in USCIS backlog

Homero Calderón, a professional soccer player from Venezuela who played for clubs in Venezuela, Portugal, Cyprus and Italy, has been held in an ICE detention center in Folkston, Georgia for about five months. He was pulled over for speeding by the Marion County Sheriff's Office in Florida in late February 2026, arrested for driving without a valid Florida license, and transferred to ICE custody despite having two pending applications with USCIS — a tourist visa extension and an EB-1A visa for people with extraordinary abilities. He is a father of two U.S. citizen children, ages 1 and 3, and recently missed his daughter's first birthday. His wife said that in 17 years together she had 'never heard him cry or ask for help like he has.' His family says he has no criminal record, and USCIS has a backlog of 11.3 million pending cases.

Timeline

Aug 15, 2026Remained detained at the ICE detention center in Folkston, GA for about five months with two USCIS applications still pending
Feb 28, 2026Pulled over for speeding in late February by the Marion County Sheriff's Office in Florida, arrested for driving without a valid Florida license, and transferred to ICE custody

Sources

Related incidents