A soccer player with Vancouver’s Spartans Futbol Club was arrested Wednesday by federal authorities after they reviewed his immigration status and criminal history, revealing he could be deportable due to a recent sex conviction.
Yahphol Valentin Patino-Cardenas, 20, of Sherwood, Ore. was taken into custody in Hillsboro, Ore. without incident. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement looks to possibly deport him to Mexico following a January conviction for first-degree attempted sexual abuse of a child under 14, a felony.
Patino-Cardenas was sentenced to five years’ probation and required to register as a sex offender, according to the federal agency. He will be housed at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma until his immigration case is resolved.
Lawful permanent residents, such as Patino-Cardenas, may be deported if they’re convicted of aggravated felonies or crimes involving moral turpitude.
Patino-Cardenas served as a defender for the Spartans Futbol Club, a Vancouver-based team formed less than a year ago, that plays matches in Portland.
