While American citizen athletes seem to get in to criminal trouble all the time, foreign-born athletes face the ominous risk of deportation if they get into even minor trouble with the law. Consider these two cases:
– A Guatemalan horse groomer was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after illegally hitting a bird with a slingshot.
– A minor league baseball player from the Dominican Republic faces deportation after an on-field melee led to a ball thrown at a fan.