ImmigrationProf Blog

ICE Wants a Piece of the Super Bowl: ICE teams up with NFL and law enforcement partners to seize counterfeit goods

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton, and National Football League's Vice President for Legal Affairs Anastasia Danias, on Thursday will announce the latest results of seizures of Super Bowl XLVI and sports-related counterfeit merchandise and websites. And the press conference is at the Super Bowl Media Center in Indianapolis.  John Morton and lucky public servants get a taste of Super Bowl mania!

WHO:

•John Morton, Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

•Anastasia Danias, Vice President for Legal Affairs, National Football League

•David Murphy, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

•Frank G. Straub, Public Safety Director, Indianapolis Department of Public Safety

WHAT: News Conference to announce the latest seizure results of a nationwide operation that is focused on seizing counterfeit Super Bowl XLVI and sports-related merchandise and websites.

WHEN: TODAY: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 at 10 a.m. ET WHERE: Super Bowl XLVI Media Center JW Marriott Indianapolis 1st floor, Room 103-104 10 S West Street Indianapolis, Ind. Important Note to Editors and Reporters: Access to this event is available to media with NFL-issued credentials. Media representatives who do not have these credentials should request a day pass before the event by emailing joanna.hunter@nfl.com.

Video/photo availability: Video/photo b-roll of counterfeit merchandise seized during this operation will be available for download here starting at 10:00 a.m ET today. Additionally, a limited number of DVDs with this B-roll will be available at the press conference.

UPDATE:  Operation Fake Sweep has been declared a success.  Don't you feel safer now?

 

KJ

Sports Fans: University of Georgia Football Loses Out Due to Undocumented Immigrant Ban

ESPN reports that the University of Georgia Bulldogs lost a prized football recruit who had to step back from a commitment to play there because of Georgia's prohibition of students from selective public universities who cannot establish a legal immigration status.

UPDATE (2/3):  Chester Brown reportedly ended up committing to the University of Central Florida.

KJ

How To Become An American: In the west Arkansas town of Magazine, one sure way for boys from the immigrant Hmong community to assimilate is to put on helmets, cleats and shoulder pads

Charles P. Pierce has an upbeat story in Sports Illustrated (Dec. 12 issue) about how Hmong immigrants helped the Magazine Rattlers become the 2010 State Football Champions, which is a really big deal in Arkansas.

KJ

Marlins' Reliever in Visa Hot Water

Miami Marlins' reliever Leo Nunez has visa problems. AP reports that he has been playing, and secured a visa, under a false name. Nunez's real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo. Oviedo was arrested outside the U.S. Consulate in Santo Domingo, where he had been trying to get a new visa under his real name so he could return to the United States. He was arrested for using a false name but later Dominican authorities announced that he would not be prosecuted. Oviedo had played professional baseball as Nunez since 2000. Officials in the Dominican Republic confirmed his real name and that he is 29, a year older than listed in the Marlins' media guide .

KJ

Baseball News; Marlins Closer Played Under Assumed Name

AP reports that MLB Florida Marlins closer Leo Nunez has been playing under an assumed name and he returned his native Dominican Republic yesterday. This, of course, is likely to raise a myriad of immigratiuon problems and possibly even place his future in Major League Baseball in jeopardy. I am not aware of other Dominican (or other) players playing under assumed names, although baseball great Miguel Tejada lied about his age (and relative youth) when he was seeking to break into MLB.

KJ

Immigrant of the Day (and Global Citizen): Madieu Williams (Sierra Leone), Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

Announced before the Super Bowl, Minnesota Vikings Safety Madieu Williams was named the 2010 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. The award recognizes a player's community service as well as his playing excellence. Williams, currently in the Persian Gulf visiting U.S. service members, will receive $20,000 toward his favorite charity.  Surrounded by service men and women, he appeared by video during the Super Bowl festivities to accept the award:  "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to accept the award, but it's an even greater honor to be here in Iraq with Task Force Iron Horse on a goodwill tour watching the Super Bowl with our troops."

A seven-year NFL veteran and Sierra Leone native, Williams made global headlines when he made a generous donation to create The Madieu Williams Center for Global Health that is affiliated with the University of Maryland. The center was built to focus on the public health issues in Prince George's County and Sierra Leone. Williams has already funded the construction of one school in his homeland and currently a second school is in the process of being built. Madieu's foundation sponsored a mission to Sierra Leone that flew American teachers, dentists and surgeons to help educate the teachers at his school, give free dental cleanings to all of the students and provide free surgeries.

Since joining the Vikings in 2008, Williams has left his mark on the Twin Cities community. He is involved with the North Community YMCA, the United Way and Harvest Prep/Seed Academy. He also provides season tickets for kids in his "Dieu's Crew" program. During the 2010 season, Madieu was named the Vikings Community Man of the Year.

KJ

Immigrant of the Day: Giorgio Tavecchio (Italy)

 
Our Immigrant of the Day, Giorgio Tavecchio, is a junior place kicker on the University of California footballl team.  Born in Milan, Italy, Tavecchio kicked two field goals in Cal's last-second loss to the University of Wahington.  This is a redemption of sorts for Tavecchio.  A few weeks ago, he missed a relatively short field goal that would have put Cal ahead in the final minutes against number 1 Oregon.

KJ

Immigrant of the Day: Edgar Rentería (Colombia)

 

Born in Colombia, Edgar Rentería is a shortstop for the Major League Baseball 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants.

Rentería debuted in 1996 with the Florida Marlins and helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series. He hit a World Series walk-off single to win game seven of the 1997 World Series. Rentería later played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Detroit Tigers, before joining the Giants in 2009

Due to injuries, Renteria played in only 72 games during the 2010 season. However, he came through in Game 2 of the 2010 World Series against the Texas Rangers, when he homered to break a 0-0 tie in the 5th inning. He later added a two-run single in the 8th. In Game Five, Renteria hit a three-run home run for his second career game-winning hit in a World Series clinching game, an achievement matched only by Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra in MLB history. He would be named the 2010 World Series Most Valuable Player.