Amid ICE threats, Portlander organizes safe soccer tournament for immigrant and refugee girls

Som Subedi’s daughter, a fifth-grader, was concerned about attending her soccer practice for fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials raiding the public practices and games. She was worried her father would be targeted by ICE officers. Subedi assured her daughter that he is, in fact, a U.S. citizen, by showing her his Real I.D. card and passport.   Subedi is originally from Bhutan, and after spending nearly twenty years in a refugee camp in Nepal, he moved to Portland in 2008 and eventually obtained citizenship. Upon seeing his identification, his daughter was still convinced that because of her father’s appearance and accent, she wouldn’t be able to see him after her soccer practice was over.   This inspired Subedi to organize the recent Refugee and Immigrant Girls’ World Cup Soccer Tournament, inviting the young athletes to compete in a safe environment, as fear and anticipation of federal immigration enforcement activity has burdened youth sports across the U.S.   Subedi joins us to share more about the tournament, and his efforts to remove cultural, linguistic and financial barriers for immigrant and refugee youth and create a safe and welcoming environment for them.