Bangu’s Garrinsha stars against Flamengo as visa delays stoke fears for family in US | OneFootball

Bangu forward Garrinsha lit up a 2-1 win over Flamengo in the Carioca opener, while worrying about visa delays facing his parents and sister in the US. According to Globo.com, he fears they could be forced back to Haiti.

The 24-year-old supplied an assist and buried a curling side-foot into Léo Nannetti’s top corner, and Flamengo remain winless.

He wants his family with him in Rio in the coming months, with support from NGO Viva Rio and its Pérolas Negras project, which holds his registration. He is on loan to Bangu until 15 March.

He left Haiti in 2019. His family sought refuge in the US in 2022 after the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse intensified the political and security crisis.

A passport typo on his surname stalled a family reunion in Brazil, so they used a then streamlined US process to move. His father’s work permit has since been suspended.

Since Donald Trump returned in 2024, pressure on immigrants has increased and fear of deportation has grown. Travelling to the nearest consulate is seen as risky amid ICE operations, and last week a woman was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

With Viva Rio’s Haiti Aqui project assisting, the family are in contact with the Brazilian consulate and expect to apply for visas in the coming weeks. They hope the process will move quickly.

Source: Globo.com