U.S. officials intervened to help Josimar “Vozinha” Dias’s mother, who couldn’t afford the $15,000 bond required for a visa from Cape Verde.
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The mother of Cape Verde’s goalkeeper — who missed her son’s stunning World Cup performance because of visa complications — will be allowed to travel to the United States after all, after congressional leaders and the State Department intervened.
Josimar “Vozinha” Dias, the 40-year-old goalkeeper for the underdog Cape Verde national team, made seven saves in Monday’s match between Cape Verde and Spain. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, a disappointment for powerhouse Spain, which has been a favorite to win the World Cup title.
After the game, Vozinha wept revealing that his mother could not travel to the World Cup because she could not afford the $15,000 bond the State Department requires for Cape Verde residents to obtain a visa. The revelation prompted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) to contact Secretary of State Marco Rubio to facilitate travel for Vozinha’s mother.
“No mother should miss the chance to see her child make history,” Jeffries said in a statement Wednesday.
A State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing arrangements, said Tuesday that they had reached out to assist Vozinha’s family. All World Cup athletes and team members, as well as relatives of World Cup players, are eligible for visa bond waivers, according to the State Department.
Vozinha’s mother, Ana Candida Evora, will now be able to secure a visa in time to attend Cape Verde’s game Sunday against Uruguay, Jeffries said.
“All fees have been waived consistent with official policy. Travel arrangements are now being made for mother and son to reunite in Miami,” he said. “I thank Secretary Rubio, U.S. State Department officials, the government of Cabo Verde and FIFA for working together to make this possible.”
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In President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration has required travelers from dozens of countries to post a reimbursable bond of up to $15,000 when applying for a U.S. visitor visa.
Trump administration policies have also upended travel plans for those from several countries hoping to come to the United States to participate in or celebrate the World Cup.
Iran’s entire team had to relocate its training base to Tijuana, Mexico, over concerns that its members would not be allowed into the United States. Ultimately, visa applications for 15 members of the team’s support staff were rejected. On Monday, Iran played New Zealand in Los Angeles, and the Iranian squad’s coach said the team was ordered to leave the U.S. just hours after the end of the game and return to Mexico.
This month, as teams and staff from FIFA, global soccer’s governing body, began making their way to the United States, a World Cup referee from Somalia was denied entry. The referee, Omar Artan, considered one of the best referees in Africa, was set to become the first from his country to officiate at a World Cup. He was denied entry in Miami despite having a U.S. visa because of what authorities described as unspecified “vetting concerns.”
Democrats have been critical of efforts by the Trump administration to curtail visas during the World Cup. Last week, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (California) said that Trump’s anti-immigrant policies were damaging to the U.S. during the World Cup and that data has shown that many would-be tourists chose to visit Canada or Mexico instead.
“Clearly the Trump administration and their behavior and the punitive way in which they look at immigration policy is clouding [the U.S.’s] performance when it comes to giving visas,” Aguilar said.
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Bailey Johnson and Adam Taylor contributed to this report.
