Ludovic Mbock, a competitive FGC player known for playing games like Street Fighter and King of Fighters, has reportedly been detained by ICE. His friends and family are asking for financial support to cover legal fees and work toward his release.
The GoFundMe campaign set up by organizer David Hazlewood says that any money donated will go toward “securing legal representation, covering legal fees, and providing direct assistance Ludovic needs during this challenging time.” The current goal is $50,000, and it has already accumulated over $41,000 in just one day.
“Please help Ludovic, who is a wonderful and kind person that makes the world a better place. America is better with him here,” Hazlewood writes.
Details are scarce on exactly when, where, and how Mbock was detained. According to a post on Bluesky from writer Sam Machkovech, Mbock emigrated from Cameroon and has lived in the U.S. for “more than half his life, having graduated from a MD high school in 2006.” As news of Mbock’s situation spread, the fighting game community and his teammates in The Hiero Group have been sharing the GFM and pleading with the public for financial support.
In an update posted yesterday, February 18, Hazlewood says the donations thus far have helped pay for the first round of legal fees and that he is hopeful this will delay Mbock’s transfer to another ICE facility as they work to have him released.
Mbock has been playing Street Fighter and other fighting games competitively for over a decade and is known for playing Chun-Li. You can watch one of his Street Fighter V match-ups below: