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New Patriots kicker a source of pride for Venezuelan community

EDITOR'S NOTE: Este artículo lo puedes leer en español en El Planeta. FOXBOROUGH — Andres Borregales hasn't even attempted a kick in a preseason game for the Patriots, but he already has devoted fans. He hasn't met most of them yet, but the rookie reciprocates their affection. Advertisement Borregales, the Patriots' sixth-round draft pick in April, is part of a rare club of NFL players from Venezuela. He was born in Caracas and moved to the United States as a toddler. He grew up in South Florida and played for the University of Miami, where he became the top-rated kicker entering the draft. His arrival has been cause for excitement among New England's Venezuelan community, which includes quite a few Patriots fans. 'It's a big thing,' Borregales said. 'I'm excited to meet them at the games. I take pride in my heritage and where I was born. I'm excited.' Borregales, who uses Andres or Andy interchangeably, smiled. Advertisement 'I love them all,' he said. 'I've never met them, but I love them.' Cristina Aguilera Sandoval, a long-time Venezuelan community leader in Massachusetts and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office for Immigrants and Refugees, was excited when she heard Borregales was drafted. 'Everybody's cheering for him,' she said. 'We're looking forward to meeting him in New England and within the Venezuelan community in Massachusetts, which has grown exponentially in the past few years.' Daniel Oriadi, an oral surgeon at Tufts, shared her enthusiasm. Oriadi was born in the United States but spent much of his childhood in Venezuela. He returned in 2001 and moved to New England just in time for the Patriots' golden age. Advertisement The first game he watched was Tom Brady's debut after Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of the game by Mo Lewis in 2001. 'You can imagine, after learning more about football and seeing this guy take over as essentially a rookie and doing what he did. I was just hooked,' Oriadi said. 'Since then, I've been a die-hard fan.' He has high hopes for Borregales. 'Hopefully, he'll have a good future in the NFL,' he said. 'This is exciting to have him come to play at Gillette. You will see more Venezuelan flags than you would have seen in the past for every game. Kickers can play for a long time. For him to do that, and for people to be able to hear over that time that his background his from Venezuela, would be very, very good.' Advertisement Ruben J. Azocar is a doctor and the vice president of perioperative services at Beth Israel Deaconess and part of the faculty at Harvard Medical School. A former resident of Miami, he had already been rooting for Borregales at The U and was glad to see him coming to New England, where Red Sox fans have been cheering for Venezuelan baseball stars for decades, including current rightfielder Wilyer Abreu. 'The Patriots being so significant in New England and him coming from a very competitive team like the University of Miami is a point of pride,' Azocar said. 'It's a premier team. It's not like he's going to the Cleveland Browns, right?' All the Venezuelans in the NFL have been kickers: Advertisement Alan Pringle, who is from Los Taques, Venezuela, played one game for the Detroit Lions in 1973, but didn't attempt a field goal or extra point. Pat Ragusa of Caracas made two field goals and seven PATs for the Jets in 1987. Jose Borregales, Andres' brother, kicked for the Buccaneers in the 2021 preseason and had been on their practice squad but didn't make their active roster. Unlike those three, Borregales will go into Patriots training camp as a favorite to be the team's No. 1 kicker. Presuming he makes the Patriots roster, it won't take much for him to become the most accomplished of that group. According to the 2022 United States Census, there are approximately 814,000 Venezuelan immigrants living in the United States, including 7,266 in Massachusetts and 2,378 in Rhode Island. Immigrants and refugees from the South American nation have become a flashpoint in the heated immigration debate. President Donald Trump has alleged that representatives of the Venezuelan government have directed members of the gang Tren de Aragua to enter the United States as invaders. While reports in both the Washington Post and New York Times have used declassified intelligence memos to dispute any significant contact between the Venezuelan government and Tren de Aragua, the administration has used that as a pretense to deport Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act. Advertisement So with those concerns hanging over their heads, Borregales offers Venezuelans a bright spot. He's not just someone to root for on a local team who shares their roots, but he also represents a chance to celebrate and talk about Venezuela in non-political terms. 'Unfortunately, our country has been on this political nightmare for a while,' Azocar said. 'We're being kind of used as a poster for bad immigration or bad this and bad that. Maybe this can give a different twist to the Venezuelan image.' Oriadi had similar hopes. 'Being able to talk about Venezuela outside of politics and the negative things we've been associated with is always great,' Oriadi said. 'Andres gives the opportunity to think of our country outside of the political side. Advertisement 'We are well-known for being kind, good-hearted people who love to laugh and help,' he added. 'We'll welcome him with open arms and we'll be at Gillette when he plays here. Hopefully, he feels the Venezuelan love far away from his hometown.' Aguilera Sandoval hoped his success would help reshape the image of Venezuelans in America. '(His success) just shows the values that we're bringing to this country in a time where the Venezuelan community has been beat up by the national rhetoric, and all put kind of in the same negative bag,' she said. 'I think it shows that when families and individuals are coming to our country and coming to our state, it's to work hard and to contribute and to make us all proud.' Borregales appreciated the warmth. Advertisement 'It just shows the love they have for you,' said Borregales, who added that other Hispanics have embraced his arrival, too. 'As Hispanics, we see one Hispanic do something well and we jump on that train. I felt it once I got drafted. There's so much support from people who I never knew, but are from the same country. That's how Venezuelans are.' More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.