House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to expedite a visa for the mother of Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, who missed her son's historic World Cup debut due to bureaucratic hurdles.
Jeffries took to social media to highlight the situation after Cape Verde, ranked 64th in the world, held third-ranked Spain to a 0-0 draw in Atlanta on Monday. Vozinha was named player of the match after recording seven saves, a performance Jeffries credited as the driving force behind the upset.
“His Mom was unable to be there because of visa complications,” Jeffries wrote on X. “No mother should miss the chance to see her child make history.” The New York Democrat said he asked Rubio “to do everything in his power to ensure” Vozinha’s mother can attend Cape Verde’s next match, scheduled for Sunday against Uruguay in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawmaker's plea or the specifics of the visa issue. The case echoes broader problems foreign nationals have faced entering the United States for the World Cup. The federal government denied entry to members of the Iranian team’s traveling party, and Somali referee Omar Artan was also barred from entering the U.S. Andrew Giuliani, President Trump’s tournament czar, claimed Artan “was talking to some very bad people” and cited classified intelligence that he said may eventually be released.
After Monday’s match, the 40-year-old Vozinha became emotional, telling reporters that his mother and late grandparents were not in attendance. “I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there,” he said, according to The Athletic. “They passed away a few years ago.” He added, “My mum could not be here either for a visa issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time.”
Cape Verde, making its first World Cup appearance, will face Uruguay and then Saudi Arabia on June 26 in Houston to close Group H play. The outcome will determine whether the island nation advances to the knockout stage. Vozinha's heroics have also sparked conversations about the role of diaspora communities and citizenship policies in the tournament.
Jeffries’ intervention adds a political dimension to what has become a recurring theme of visa-related controversies during the World Cup. The episode highlights the tension between the administration’s immigration enforcement and the logistical demands of hosting a global sporting event.
