PORTLAND, OREGON — A soccer tournament for immigrant and refugee girls was held Sunday in Portland, Oregon, and was billed as the World Cup. Som Subedi, an immigrant from Bhutan, organized the tournament.

Subedi belongs to the Lhotshampa, a Nepali-speaking ethnic group targeted by Bhutanese authorities in the early 1990s. He lived in a refugee camp in Nepal for years before arriving in Portland in 2008 and later became a U.S. citizen.

"ICE and federal enforcement must be out of our parking lots, out of our soccer fields, and most importantly, out of the fear in our hearts and minds," Subedi said. "This is more than a competition. It is more than soccer. We are making this a community event so that they feel valued and welcomed."

Some tournament players were aged 10 to 18 and have family backgrounds from countries including Mexico, Somalia, and Myanmar. Officers from two police departments and a local immigrant rights group were present at the tournament.

Immigration agents were reported near Subedi's daughter's school last winter, and she did not want to attend soccer practice. Subedi carries his REAL ID and passport, but his daughter remained nervous.

Valeria Hernandez, 15, said her brother was deported to Mexico late last year. At the tournament opening ceremony, Hernandez, her mother, and her younger sister were gifted brightly colored scarves as symbols of support.

Nearly 1,200 people were arrested in Oregon by federal immigration officers from October to December of last year, according to data from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights. Immigration enforcement surged in the Pacific Northwest last fall, nearing the historic height seen during the first Obama administration, according to data from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights.

Last fall, the Oregon Youth Soccer Association announced the cancellation or rescheduling of several games in Portland over concerns about immigration agents in parks. A New York City youth baseball coach intervened when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents approached his team during practice last July. A Massachusetts high school student was arrested by immigration agents on the way to volleyball practice last May and was later released.

Persistent protests have taken place at the ICE building in Portland since last June, including months of nightly demonstrations. Two lawsuits claiming that federal officers used chemical munitions to disperse crowds at the Portland ICE building are currently before a federal appeals court, according to court filings.

Donations covered jerseys and cleats, and the tournament was free for all girls. The girls were split into six teams for the tournament. Some teams represented specific communities, such as the Karen people from Myanmar and the African Refugee Immigrant Organization.

Dozens of people volunteered as referees and coaches for the tournament. Sergio Medel, who played professionally in Mexico and has coached at various levels in the U.S. since arriving in 1997, volunteered as a coach for a team that included his 16-year-old daughter. "I hope that when they walk away from here, they feel like, 'Hey, we're not alone,'" Medel said.