Latest news with #FreeMarcelo
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Massachusetts high school student granted bail by immigration court
Massachusetts high school student granted bail by immigration court Marcelo Gomes Da Silva is expected to be released soon pending a later immigration hearing. He will likely wear an ankle monitor in the meantime. Show Caption Hide Caption VIDEO: Milford volleyball wins first set on 'Free Marcelo' night; fans go crazy On a night where Milford and Taunton played volleyball in support of the recently-detained Marcelo Gomes da Silva, the Scarlet Hawks won the first set. An immigration court judge has granted bail to Milford High School junior Marcelo Gomes Da Silva. The judge issued a $2,000 bond, which Da Silva can post. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him on Saturday, May 31, a day before his girlfriend graduated from Milford High School. The detention hearing occurred on Thursday, June 5, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Da Silva was taken away by ICE agents when he was stopped May 31 on his way to volleyball practice. Federal officials said they targeted Sa Silva's father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, who they claim is an undocumented immigrant from Brazil. ICE said they didn't intend to arrest the 18-year-old Da Silva, but when agents realized it was him, not his father, who was driving the car, they had to detain him because he was living in the U.S. without legal status. Da Silva's lawyer Robin Nice responded, "hopefully today,' when asked by reporters June 5 when Da Silva will be released. She expects he'll have an ankle monitor, per the current Department of Homeland Security's standard operating procedures. He is being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility. "This kid has been sleeping on the cement floor for the past five days ‒ he's brushed his teeth twice," Nice said during a press conference held immediately after the hearing. 'It's offensive to call arresting an 18-year-old kid with no criminal record a 'collateral arrest.'" She added that her client looked forward to enjoying chicken nuggets and Snickers candy bars once he's released. A master planning hearing has been set for 9 a.m. on June 26, but Nice said that's merely a placeholder. She said Da Silva will get on the regular calendar, but nothing will happen for months ‒ or even a year ‒ because immigration courts are so backed up. "Two steps forward, but one step back," Nice said during the press conference. This story will be updated.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Matt Vautour: In protesting volleyball player's detainment, Milford students show more humanity than ICE
MILFORD — As the Milford boys volleyball team lined up numerically on the end line before Tuesday's MIAA Division I Tournament game against Taunton, they left a space in the middle. The gap was between No. 9 Jason Comisky and No. 11 Eston Lebron, an acknowledgement that Marcelo Gomes, usually No. 10, was missing. A week ago, Gomes wasn't famous. He was a well-liked honor student, a drummer in the MHS band and an outside hitter on the Scarlet Hawks volleyball team that was eyeing a deep run in the postseason. But on Saturday, Gomes, who was born in Brazil, but has lived in Milford since he was 5 years old, was stopped and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They were looking for his father, whose car Gomes was driving to volleyball practice. But rather than admit their net hadn't hauled the intended fish, the ICE agents padded their stats and basically kidnapped a teenager and made Gomes a flashpoint in a polarizing national debate. Addressing immigration problems humanely in the United States requires a careful scalpel. But, lacking that patience, ICE has plowed ahead with a chainsaw. Milford was just the latest community left with a scar. So Gomes didn't drum in the band at graduation on Sunday or the march to the town hall afterward when Milford students and residents gathered to protest his situation. He wasn't in school on Monday when his friends and schoolmates walked out of class in a demonstration against the cruelty of his detainment and he wasn't between Comisky and Lebron on Tuesday night. But still, his presence was everywhere on Tuesday. Marcelo Gomes was on the minds of everyone at Milford High School as the Scarlet Hawks prepared to play their first game without him. The largest volleyball crowd long-time Athletic Director Peter Boucher has seen in 12 years at the school, not only filled the seats, but spilled over into the corners where many people stood. About 80 percent of that crowd wore white T-shirts. Just three days after Gomes' detainment shocked the Central Massachusetts town where the Mass. Pike meets 495, people mobilized into countless shirt-making gatherings. The result was hundreds of homemade white tops, with different messages in different colors. They included: 'Free Marcelo' surrounded by a heart 'A Kid not a Criminal' 'Jesus told us to love your neighbor' 'It's too warm for ICE' There were signs on the walls and in the crowd. The quality ranged from Sharpie-on-posterboard to a rush order created with pictures at a print shop. Between the first and second games, someone arrived with a roll of newly minted 'Free Marcelo' stickers that were quickly passed around the bleachers. A basket of yellow ribbons greeted visitors at the entrance for anyone to take and wear in solidarity. When Taunton arrived, its players and even some of their parents were in their own 'Free Marcelo,' T-shirts. Like Milford, Taunton is a town that has been enriched by its immigrant population and two of the Tigers players have been club teammates with Gomes. When they learned what Milford was doing, they wanted to show support. 'One of our players, Ike Asiengnbunam, was really emotional because he'd played with him in club,' Taunton coach Toby Chaperon said. 'He and Danny Freitas really spear-headed doing the shirts. Coming from the players makes it that much more special.' The Milford crowd greeted them with an appreciative ovation. They weren't the only rivals in the building. Members of the Marlborough and Nipmuc boys volleyball squads came in large groups and Boucher thought several Bellingham players were in attendance, too. Before the starting lineups, Boucher took the microphone and both praised the Milford students for channeling their energy into making their voices heard and encouraged them to continue to do so with the same maturity that had guided them so far. 'I'm spectacularly proud of how peacefully and professionally we've let the world know that we love Marcelo and we want and expect him to be returned home,' he said. It was a smart announcement to make, but their actions from the start of warmups to the end of the game indicated it was probably unnecessary. Anger would have been understandable. This game and this tournament should have been remembered for the terrific volleyball, one last time for this group together before the seniors move on and the rest of the team scatters for the summer. Instead, they tried to play a volleyball game through fear and worry that no kids should have to experience. But there were no middle fingers. No words of rage on the back of their shirts. They stood respectfully through the national anthem. Just days after Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, was sarcastic and smug in his press conference defending Gomes' detainment, the Milford students showed a level of class that gave reason to hope that the nation's future leaders might have more humanity than the current ones. There were signs throughout the crowd, many with his picture, all imploring the government to send their friend home. If Gomes is anything like the people supporting him, the country is probably a better place with him in it. Early on, the Scarlet Hawks looked like they might put together an inspirational win on an emotional night. They came from behind to win the first game and were points away from a commanding 2-0 lead after Game Two, but Taunton rallied to knot the match at 1-1 and scored the first five points of Game Three. Maybe it was the humidity of the filled gymnasium. Maybe it was toll of the last few days catching up with them. Or maybe it was just some terrific play by Taunton, whose level of play increased with its momentum. Either way, Milford couldn't keep up and fell 3-1. 'We didn't get the win tonight, but we played with him in mind,' Comisky said. 'His absence was really known. You could really feel it.' Season-ending losses are always emotional, but the Scarlet Hawks players stayed on the floor for a long time, huddling, hugging and clinging to a team that has become a support group in recent days. Milford coach Andrew Mainini was disappointed but proud of the way his team rose to the moment despite the result. The town remains hopeful that after appearing before an immigration judge that Gomes will come home. Mainini wanted the chance to tell him about how the town came together for him. 'I want him to see pictures and to see how many people in the community showed up,' Mainini said. 'Milford showed up for volleyball, but this wasn't for Milford, this was for Marcelo. I want him to know he's loved and that this was for him.' David Andrews embodied the best of the Patriots dynasty Jun. 3, 2025, 5:00a.m. Fenway Franks and Moneyball - What a French sportswriter saw at his first Red Sox game Jun. 2, 2025, 5:00a.m. NFL Players in the Olympics is a terrible idea and awful football May. 23, 2025, 5:00a.m. Don Sweeney's contract extension doesn't take Bruins GM off hot seat May. 21, 2025, 5:00a.m. Read the original article on MassLive.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
A community rallies for the release of a beloved high schooler detained by ICE
Calls to 'Free Marcelo' are echoing beyond the high school campus of a Massachusetts town where a standout student was arrested by ICE over the weekend. A vocal contingent of students at the high school in Milford – many wearing white in a show of solidarity – staged a walkout on their campus Monday supporting classmate Marcelo Gomes da Silva, an 18-year-old junior who's now in immigration detention. The governor and a US senator have called for his release. And the school volleyball team – which has a home playoff game Tuesday night – is dedicating the match to him. 'He is a student who was learning every other subject like every other student who is excited about his future,' one classmate told affiliate WCVB on Monday. Gomes da Silva's detention is the latest example of the Trump administration widening its sights beyond violent criminals and gang members without legal status, and another likely case of a collateral arrest in which someone who is not the target of an investigation is swept up by immigration authorities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Gomes da Silva on Saturday while the honors student was on his way to volleyball practice with two teammates, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said. Agents stopped the car and spoke with all three students. 'By the time I had turned back around, and I was done talking to (the) ICE agent, he was already in handcuffs and being put into the back of the car, which was devastating,' Yago Sampaio, 17, told WCVB. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the traffic stop that resulted in Gomes da Silva's detention, saying in a statement the target of the 'immigration enforcement operation' was the student's father. The statement said his father is in the country illegally and local authorities told ICE he'd been driving recklessly. 'Upon conducting the vehicle stop, officers arrested Marcelo (Gomes da Silva), an illegally present, 18-year-old Brazilian alien and the son of the intended target,' the statement said. 'While ICE officers never intended to apprehend (Gomes da Silva), he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest,' wrote Tricia McLaughlin, the department's assistant secretary for public affairs. Attorney Robin Nice, who is representing the high school student, insists her client has no criminal history and entered the country lawfully in 2013 using a B-2 visa, which allows foreign nationals to visit the United States for tourism or visiting family and friends. Gomes da Silva eventually received a student visa which has since lapsed, Nice said, though it's unclear when it expired; Nice told CNN she expects him to be eligible for asylum and he intends to apply. 'His strong community ties, consistent academic achievement, and involvement in positive extracurricular and faith-based activities underscore the fact that he poses no danger to the community and is not a flight risk,' Nice wrote in a statement to CNN. 'The actions by ICE do not make the community safer, they just sow fear among … immigrants and their loved ones.' Gomes da Silva remained in immigration detention Tuesday, according to ICE records. A federal judge issued an order Monday saying the young man must remain in Massachusetts for at least 72 hours, starting Sunday afternoon, to 'provide the judge who would be randomly assigned the action a fair opportunity to review the merits' of the case. Gomes da Silva is scheduled for an initial hearing before an immigration judge in Massachusetts on Thursday, his attorneys say, at which time he plans to request to be released on bond. Those who know him describe Gomes da Silva as active in his church and community. 'I think because of Marcelo and how he acted towards people, is why so many people came out here today to help support Marcelo,' a Milford High school student said in an interview with WCVB at Monday's student walkout. Healey, the governor, demanded answers from ICE following Gomes da Silva's arrest. 'ICE has had plenty of opportunity to examine whether or not they made a mistake,' Healey said in a video posted to her official X account. 'Unless ICE has additional information that would substantiate that this individual had some criminal involvement, he should be released.' The community launched a fundraiser to help with Gomes da Silva's legal and court expenses and to help support his family. As of Tuesday evening, it had raised nearly $40,000. Ahead of its Tuesday night home playoff game, the Milford High School boys volleyball team dedicated the match to their detained team member and wrote in an Instagram post, 'We will continue to pray and fight for our brother.' 'THIS IS FOR YOU MARCELO,' the team wrote in capital letters. 'PACK THE STANDS, NO EMPTY SEATS. WEAR WHITE. WE LOVE YOU MARCELO.' 'Marcelo should have been playing the drums at Milford High's graduation on Sunday, not trapped in a detention center,' said Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, in a video posted on X. 'This isn't about public safety,' Markey added. 'This about cruelty, and power, and fear engendered by the Trump administration. To the Milford community, I'm with you as we tell the Trump administration to keep its hands off your kids. And I am with you in calling on ICE to free Marcelo.' CNN's Caroll Alvarado contributed to this report.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
A community rallies for the release of a beloved high schooler detained by ICE
Federal agencies Immigration Student lifeFacebookTweetLink Follow Calls to 'Free Marcelo' are echoing beyond the high school campus of a Massachusetts town where a standout student was arrested by ICE over the weekend. A vocal contingent of students at the high school in Milford – many wearing white in a show of solidarity – staged a walkout on their campus Monday supporting classmate Marcelo Gomes da Silva, an 18-year-old junior who's now in immigration detention. The governor and a US senator have called for his release. And the school volleyball team – which has a home playoff game Tuesday night – is dedicating the match to him. 'He is a student who was learning every other subject like every other student who is excited about his future,' one classmate told affiliate WCVB on Monday. Gomes da Silva's detention is the latest example of the Trump administration widening its sights beyond violent criminals and gang members without legal status, and another likely case of a collateral arrest in which someone who is not the target of an investigation is swept up by immigration authorities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Gomes da Silva on Saturday while the honors student was on his way to volleyball practice with two teammates, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said. Agents stopped the car and spoke with all three students. 'By the time I had turned back around, and I was done talking to (the) ICE agent, he was already in handcuffs and being put into the back of the car, which was devastating,' Yago Sampaio, 17, told WCVB. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the traffic stop that resulted in Gomes da Silva's detention, saying in a statement the target of the 'immigration enforcement operation' was the student's father. The statement said his father is in the country illegally and local authorities told ICE he'd been driving recklessly. 'Upon conducting the vehicle stop, officers arrested Marcelo (Gomes da Silva), an illegally present, 18-year-old Brazilian alien and the son of the intended target,' the statement said. 'While ICE officers never intended to apprehend (Gomes da Silva), he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest,' wrote Tricia McLaughlin, the department's assistant secretary for public affairs. Attorney Robin Nice, who is representing the high school student, insists her client has no criminal history and entered the country lawfully in 2013 using a B-2 visa, which allows foreign nationals to visit the United States for tourism or visiting family and friends. Gomes da Silva eventually received a student visa which has since lapsed, Nice said, though it's unclear when it expired; Nice told CNN she expects him to be eligible for asylum and he intends to apply. 'His strong community ties, consistent academic achievement, and involvement in positive extracurricular and faith-based activities underscore the fact that he poses no danger to the community and is not a flight risk,' Nice wrote in a statement to CNN. 'The actions by ICE do not make the community safer, they just sow fear among … immigrants and their loved ones.' Gomes da Silva remained in immigration detention Tuesday, according to ICE records. A federal judge issued an order Monday saying the young man must remain in Massachusetts for at least 72 hours, starting Sunday afternoon, to 'provide the judge who would be randomly assigned the action a fair opportunity to review the merits' of the case. Gomes da Silva is scheduled for an initial hearing before an immigration judge in Massachusetts on Thursday, his attorneys say, at which time he plans to request to be released on bond. Those who know him describe Gomes da Silva as active in his church and community. 'I think because of Marcelo and how he acted towards people, is why so many people came out here today to help support Marcelo,' a Milford High school student said in an interview with WCVB at Monday's student walkout. Healey, the governor, demanded answers from ICE following Gomes da Silva's arrest. 'ICE has had plenty of opportunity to examine whether or not they made a mistake,' Healey said in a video posted to her official X account. 'Unless ICE has additional information that would substantiate that this individual had some criminal involvement, he should be released.' The community launched a fundraiser to help with Gomes da Silva's legal and court expenses and to help support his family. As of Tuesday evening, it had raised nearly $40,000. Ahead of its Tuesday night home playoff game, the Milford High School boys volleyball team dedicated the match to their detained team member and wrote in an Instagram post, 'We will continue to pray and fight for our brother.' 'THIS IS FOR YOU MARCELO,' the team wrote in capital letters. 'PACK THE STANDS, NO EMPTY SEATS. WEAR WHITE. WE LOVE YOU MARCELO.' 'Marcelo should have been playing the drums at Milford High's graduation on Sunday, not trapped in a detention center,' said Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, in a video posted on X. 'This isn't about public safety,' Markey added. 'This about cruelty, and power, and fear engendered by the Trump administration. To the Milford community, I'm with you as we tell the Trump administration to keep its hands off your kids. And I am with you in calling on ICE to free Marcelo.' CNN's Caroll Alvarado contributed to this report.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Massachusetts students and teachers protest teen's ‘inhumane' arrest by Ice
Students at Massachusetts's Milford high school staged a walkout Monday to show support for their classmate Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who was headed to volleyball practice when he was detained over the weekend by US immigration and customs enforcement (Ice) agents who were actually looking for his father. Gomes Da Silva, a Brazilian national, entered the US in 2012 on a student visa, according to a court document since filed by his lawyer. The filing states that Gomes Da Silva's student visa status has since lapsed – but that he is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum. Currently a junior at Milford high school, Gomes Da Silva has 'no criminal history anywhere in the world', his lawyer maintained. He was reportedly being held at Ice's Boston field office, and his attorney filed a petition seeking his immediate release, arguing that his detention was unlawful. Da Silva's plight has inspired protests. On Monday, many students at Milford high school staged a walkout in solidarity with Gomes Da Silva, holding signs and wearing T-shirts that said 'Free Marcelo'. The Massachusetts Teachers Association issued a statement on Monday supporting the walkout and condemning Ice's actions as 'cruel' and 'inhumane'. 'Milford students are leading and their educators are following with admiration, moved by their commitment to do what is right and their solidarity with a classmate in need,' the statement said. 'Communities are rising,' the statement added. 'Just yesterday, 200 Milford teachers joined students in their march and rally, standing together in unity and taking their lead. We are inspired by the brave young people who walked out in protest.' A day earlier, Gomes Da Silva was a conspicuous absence at Milford high school's graduation ceremony. According to the Boston Globe, he had been scheduled to perform with the school band at the commencement. After the ceremony, the Boston Globe reported that hundreds of students and community members marched to Milford town hall to protest Gomes Da Silva's detention and call for his release. Also Sunday, a judge issued a order barring Ice from transferring him out of Massachusetts for at least 72 hours. A second order issued Monday stated that Gomes Da Silva 'shall not be moved outside the district of Massachusetts without providing the court 48 hours' advance notice of the move and the reason therefore' while the court considers the high schooler's lawsuit. The judge also gave the government 14 days to respond to the petition. During a news conference on Monday, the acting director of Ice, Todd Lyons, defended the agency's actions, telling reporters that Da Silva was 'in this country illegally and we're not going to walk away from anybody'. Lyons said that immigration agents made the traffic stop because they were looking for Gomes Da Silva's father, who Lyons said was in the US without legal status. Lyons said that Gomes Da Silva was driving his father's vehicle when he was pulled over and detained. 'He was not the target of the investigation,' added Patricia Hyde, the acting director of enforcement and removal operations at Ice's Boston field office. 'He's 18 years old – and he's unlawfully in this country. Unfortunately, we had to go to Milford to look for someone else, and we came across him – he was arrested.' Lyons added that when authorities encounter someone in the country who is here illegally, 'we will take action on that'. 'We're doing the job that Ice should have been doing all along,' Lyons said. 'We enforce all immigration laws.' Over the weekend, Maura Healey, the Massachusetts Democratic governor, condemned Gomes Da Silva's arrest, saying that she was 'disturbed and outraged'.
