At least 11 illegal immigrants are among the 27 people arrested and charged for taking part in a brawl during the Copa America final in Miami, The Washington Post has learned.
Players Luis Beltran Martinez and Elkin Mayorga, both Colombian nationals, were among the migrants arrested after fans stormed Hard Rock Stadium during Sunday’s final between Colombia and Argentina.
The pair were charged with assault on a police officer and criminal trespassing, while Mayorga also faces charges of disorderly conduct while intoxicated and resisting a police officer with violence.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has pending cases against those two people, as well as at least nine others charged with lesser offenses, according to arrest records.
ICE issues case hold orders when it requests that authorities detain immigrants when they intend to release them.
According to internal Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by The Washington Post, Mayorga, a Colombian national, illegally crossed the southern border in Yuma, Arizona, on March 24, 2022, and was arrested by Border Patrol.
He was released three days later, fitted with a tracking device as part of ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program.
However, less than a month later, the tracker was removed for unknown reasons.
Mayorga is accused of jumping a turnstile during a crowded Copa on Sunday, reportedly resisting police attempts to remove him and trying to flee. Local news station NBC6.
Algemiro Rodriguez, a Colombian national who was also arrested in the Copa disaster, entered Arizona illegally in October 2021 and was released from ICE custody the following month for being overweight, according to internal Department of Homeland Security documents.
Another Colombian migrant arrested at Copa was Dylan Parra Castro, who illegally crossed the southern border into McAllen, Texas, in July 2021 and was released by ICE two months later, documents show.
Colombian Brandon Poeda was also allegedly part of the mob. Internal documents show he entered California illegally in July 2022 and was released the next day fitted with a tracking device.
Among those arrested were Colombian Football Federation president Ramon Jesulun and his son Ramon Hamil Jesulun, who are suspected of being involved in a physical confrontation with security guards.
The start of the match was delayed by more than 75 minutes after fans tried to force their way through the stadium gates.
Amid the crowds, people became increasingly desperate, resorting to unconventional methods to try to get into the game, such as crawling through air vents or jumping over security barriers.
“Last night, our law enforcement teams responded swiftly to address an extremely difficult and dangerous situation that threatened the life safety of those in attendance,” Public Safety Director James Reyes said in a statement.
“We’d like to thank all of the officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Fire and Rescue Division and the Miami-Dade Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as well as our partner agencies, who worked together to keep our fans and community safe and prevent a major incident.”
800 police officers were at the scene trying to control the situation, but the stadium remained in ruins.
