"Beyond the normal challenges of fielding a winning roster, Pinzón and most of his student teammates are recently arrived immigrants. Some, like him, are in the United States without family support, and have financial responsibilities - jobs on top of schoolwork - that make coordinating a full practice impossible. Traveling to workouts feels risky, too, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents randomly targeting people based on language and skin color."
"He arrived in 2023 as a teenager, traveling from Colombia with his dad, who abandoned him soon after. For eight months, he slept alone in a Planet Fitness parking lot, in a rented Prius, before enrolling at Oakland International High School. The saga cost him years of schooling, and so he enrolled as a sophomore at age 19, supporting himself by making food deliveries, often until 3 a.m."
Dilan Pinzón arrived in 2023 from Colombia as a teenager and experienced abandonment, prolonged homelessness, and delayed schooling. He slept in a Planet Fitness parking lot and in a rented Prius for eight months before enrolling at Oakland International High School as a 19-year-old sophomore. He supports himself with late-night food-delivery work while maintaining dedication to soccer. Most teammates are recently arrived immigrants, some unaccompanied, balancing jobs and school and facing risks from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Soccer Without Borders operates teams across the Bay Area to provide newly arrived youth with structure, belonging, and support.
Read at The Oaklandside
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