A Maine Legends soccer player was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Scarborough last week.
Malunda Destino is from Angola and is a starting defender for Maine’s semi-pro soccer team competing in the United Premier Soccer League.
The season is just starting for the Maine Legends Football Club, but the coach says it’s going to feel a bit different this year, at least until they get their key player back to doing what he loves.
“We want him back,” head coach Manuel Vemba said.
Vemba said Destino’s detainment by ICE is now sending ripple effects through the Lewiston soccer community.
“I was surprised,” Vemba said. “I was sad, because I know he is not the type of guy that would get in trouble.”
Destino has played soccer his whole life and has been a starter for the Legends.
Vemba said Destino’s skills extend beyond the field.
“He’s an asset to our club,” Vemba said. “He always makes us laugh and always looks to cheer us up.”
The coach said Destino was dropping his pregnant wife off at work last Wednesday. He then stopped at a gas station in Scarborough. That’s when the coach said Destino’s wife got the call her husband was being detained.
“It’s a sad situation. She was crying all day. Even this morning when I called her, she was still crying,” Vemba said.
The youth Legends soccer team is emotional, too. Youth captain Mathew Antonio said Destino is someone he looks up to.
“I sat down, and I thought about it, because Destino wouldn’t get in much trouble,” Antonio said. “I just want him to stay strong.”
Vemba said while filling Destin’s position won’t be easy, the team now has a new challenge on its hands.
“Everyone is worried now,” Vemba said. “Most of the players don’t even want to come to practice, because they fear they might get targeted.”
The team set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for Destino’s legal fees and to support his wife.
CBS 13 doesn’t know the exact reason why Destino was taken by ICE. The coach said Destino’s wife said it could be from a few tickets he got in the past, but he did pay for them.
Now, Destino is being held at a correctional facility in Massachusetts as Destino’s wife prepares to soon give birth to their baby boy.
CBS 13 has contacted ICE for more information on Destino, but is waiting to hear back.
