Latest news with #MarceloGomesDaSilva
Associated Press
17 hours ago
- General
- Associated Press
Family of teen arrested on his way to volleyball practice asks immigration officials to release him
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The family of an 18-year-old Massachusetts high school student arrested on his way to volleyball practice pleaded with immigration officials to release him Wednesday. 'I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It's no family without him,' João Paulo Gomes Pereira said in a video released by his son's attorney. 'We love America. Please, bring my son back.' Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who came to the U.S. from Brazil at age 7, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday. Authorities have said the agents were looking for the teenager's father, who owns the car Gomes da Silva was driving at the time. 'Like any local law enforcement officer, if you encounter someone that has a warrant or … he's here illegally, we will take action on it,' Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told reporters Monday. Gomes da Silva initially entered the country on a visitor visa and was later issued a student visa that has since lapsed, said his attorney, Robin Nice. She described him as deeply rooted in his community and a dedicated member of both the Milford High School marching band and a band at his church. 'The actions by ICE do not make the community safer,' she said in a statement. 'They just sow fear through the immigrant community.' A federal judge considering Gomes da Silva's request to be released while the immigration case proceeds has given the government until June 16 to respond and has ordered that Gomes da Silva not be moved out of Massachusetts without 48 hours' notice given to the court. A hearing in immigration court is scheduled for Thursday. U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said ICE officers were targeting a 'known public safety threat' and that Gomes da Silva's father 'has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas.' '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,' she said in a statement. The video released Wednesday shows Gomes da Silva's parents and younger siblings in the teen's bedroom. His sister describes watching movies with her brother and enjoying food he cooks for her, including 'chicken nuggets in the air fryer.' 'I miss everything about him,' she said. 'When he gets back, I will give him a really big hug,' Gomes da Silva's younger brother says. 'But ICE, please get him out. Please.' The arrest has sparked outrage among Democratic officials, including Gov. Maura Healey, who demanded information about his location and whether he is being afforded due process. 'They need to let him go,' Healey said in a video posted Tuesday on the social platform X. 'Marcelo belongs in school, not in a detention center.' Other supporters wore white and packed the stands of the high school gymnasium Tuesday night, when the volleyball team dedicated a match to their missing teammate. 'We will continue to pray and fight for our brother,' the team said in an Instagram post ahead of the match.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
ICE detention of Chelsea High students adds to escalating tensions over immigration enforcement
The recent ICE detention of Milford High junior Marcelo Gomes Da Silva is revealing more accounts of youth being apprehended by federal immigration authorities. Chelsea Superintendent Almi Abeyta confirmed to Boston 25 News that two students were detained by ICE several weeks ago. She said it happened off school property after school officials reported an incident on school grounds allegedly involving a knife to local police. According to Abeyta, another student was recently taken into ICE custody following a separate, unrelated incident off school grounds. 'It's completely inhumane to detain youth, who have no rights in this country, and ship them off to foreign countries that they've never been in,' said Alex Train, chief operating officer at La Colaborativa. Train told Boston 25 News he believes the detainment of minors is sending a negative message to the community. 'We've had students from Chelsea High School detained as they've been walking to school in the morning,' he said. 'Residents are no longer comfortable calling the police to report a crime or communicating with the police.' He fears that strain is going to have cascading impacts on public safety in the months ahead. 'This summer we're bracing for a major uptick in crime,' he added. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said 790 out of the 1,461 people arrested in Massachusetts in May had criminal records or pending charges. Some Republican lawmakers have praised the ongoing efforts in Massachusetts. ICE director Todd Lyons vowed to continue coming back to the state in a news conference on Monday. He condemned those who have been interfering with ICE arrests while defending the masks that agents wear. 'People are out there taking photos of the names and faces and posting them online with death threats,' said Lyons of threats being made towards federal agents and officers in the line of duty. The LUCE Immigration Justice Network said it plans to continue training volunteers to verify and document the presence of ICE agents in cities and towns. 'They're doing it all with masks and ginormous guns and in full military gear,' said Jaya Savita, with the LUCE Immigration Justice Network steering committee. 'You tell me who's scary and who's the one who's facing threats and who are the victims in this situation.' Gov. Maura Healey has called for the agency to release more information about the arrests being made. Healey released the following statement on Tuesday regarding the detention of Gomes Da Silva. 'This weekend, ICE arrested a high school honors student in Milford while he was driving to volleyball practice,' Healey said. 'He has lived and gone to school in the community since he was five years old. Yesterday, ICE admitted he was not the target, had no criminal record and did not pose a danger to the community. He needs to be released, immediately.' This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
ICE arrest of Milford student causes community uproar
MILFORD, Mass. (WWLP) – ICE arrests are ramping up around the country, and here in Massachusetts, a detained Milford High School student is drawing national attention. The community in Milford was left confused and outraged, and now, school leaders are speaking out against actions taken by ICE. This comes after students in Milford walked out of school in protest, demanding freedom and justice for their detained classmate and their educators are following. Operation Patriot nets 1,500 arrested by ICE in Massachusetts In a statement, the Massachusetts Teachers Association condemned ICE's 'cruel and inhumane actions,' calling for Milford High School junior Marcelo Gomes Da Silva's immediate release. They're calling on leaders at every level to ensure their schools remain safe spaces of learning, belonging, and safety for all students. 'He was doing everything his parents wanted him to do, going to practice, going to school,' said Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance Executive Director Vatsady Sivongxay. The Milford Teachers Association is also saying their students are more than just an immigration status, ' we call on leaders at every level to ensure our schools remain safe spaces of learning, belonging and safety for all students – not hunting grounds for ICE agents.' Marcelo Gomes Da Silva is being held in the Burlington Detention Center. He is scheduled for an initial hearing at the Chelmsford Immigration Court on Thursday. His lawyer said they will be requesting his release from ICE custody on bond. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Global News
2 days ago
- General
- Global News
High schoolers rally for classmate detained by U.S. immigration authorities
Students and staff at a Massachusetts high school staged a post-graduation protest after U.S. immigration authorities detained a pupil who was scheduled to perform with the school's band during the ceremony. Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, 18, was set to play drums at his girlfriend's high school graduation on Sunday, but was absent from proceedings after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Boston area the previous morning. Dressed in graduation gowns, hundreds of students, alongside their teachers, families and community members, marched from their school to Milford Town Hall, demanding the return of their classmate and friend. View image in full screen Family members and classmates of Marcelo Gomes Da Silva protest outside of Milford Town Hall after the 18-year-old was detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice. Jessica Rinaldi / Getty Images During the protest, still draped in her red gown, Gomes Da Silva's girlfriend, Julianys Rentas Figueroa, told NBC News that she'd spoken to her boyfriend on the phone on Saturday shortly after he was detained. He told her that immigration authorities chained his ankles and wrists. Story continues below advertisement 'I haven't spoken to him since then. I don't know how he's doing,' she said. 'I don't understand why Marcelo was targeted. He's been in Milford all his life,' she added. View image in full screen A photo of Marcelo Gomes Da Silva with his girlfriend, Julianys Rentas Figueroa, is seen in his bedroom on June 2, 2025. Jessica Rinaldi / Getty Images According to the news outlet, Gomes Da Silva was driving his father's car to volleyball practice with some of his teammates when he was pulled over by immigration authorities. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Officers conducted the traffic stop because they were looking for Gomes Da Silva's father, who, according to Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, is residing illegally in the U.S. During the stop, authorities determined that Gomes Da Silva was also unlawfully in the country and detained him, Lyons said at a press conference on Monday. According to his friends, Gomes Da Silva was born in Brazil but has attended Milford Public Schools in the Boston area since the age of six, NBC reported. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Students embrace outside of Milford High School after walking out of school to protest the detention of Marcelo Gomes Da Silva. Jessica Rinaldi / Getty Images During the news conference, Patricia H. Hyde, Boston's ICE field officer, said that despite the high school student not being the target of the investigation, 'when we go out into the community and we find others who are unlawfully here, we are going to arrest them. We've been completely transparent with that.' The teen's arrest coincided with the final day of a far-reaching, month-long illegal immigration clamp down in Massachusetts, coined Operation Patriot, that saw nearly 1,500 people deemed 'criminal aliens' detained. 'Make no mistake: Every person that we arrested was breaking our immigration laws, but most of these individuals had significant criminality. They are criminal offenders who victimized innocent people and traumatized entire communities — murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, child sex predators and members of violent transnational criminal gangs,' Hyde said in a statement at the conclusion of Operation Patriot. Story continues below advertisement Gomes Da Silva's volleyball coach, Andrew Mainini, told NBC10 Boston on Sunday that his athlete was an 'exceptional citizen' who 'makes other people smile.' He said he received word of the arrest from a student who witnessed it around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. According to Mainini, ICE released two other students in the car because they were under 18. 'I was sitting there thinking, 'This can't be happening,'' the volleyball coach added. 'It's one thing to see things happening in the world. It's another to have them directly impact the people you work with and care for on a daily basis.' View image in full screen Graduates embrace as they protest outside of Milford Town Hall after 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva was detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice. Jessica Rinaldi / Getty Images Gomes Da Silva is not the only member of the community to be arrested by ICE in recent times. Story continues below advertisement According to Kevin McIntyre, Supt. of Milford Public Schools, several parents have been detained in the past month. 'We are all distraught by this news,' McIntyre said, before telling NBC10 Boston on Sunday that the school district did not have a hand in facilitating the arrests. 'They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends and neighbours,' McIntyre continued. 'We will do everything in our power to support our students and families during these difficult times.' Rentas Figueroa said Gomes Da Silva was transported between two Massachusetts detention facilities over the weekend. In a statement on X on Sunday, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said she was 'demanding immediate answers' from ICE following the arrest of the high school student. 'The Trump Administration continues to create fear in our communities, and it's making us all less safe,' she wrote. I'm demanding immediate answers from ICE about the arrest of a Milford High School student yesterday, where he is and how his due process is being protected. The Trump Administration continues to create fear in our communities, and it's making us all less safe. — Governor Maura Healey (@MassGovernor) June 1, 2025 Story continues below advertisement During Sunday's protest, a friend of Gomes Da Silva's told NBC Boston, 'I am disgusted that I have to deal with this on graduation and see one of my greatest friends be taken away for no reason.' 'I just pray that we can make a difference because this is so depressing,' the girl said in tears.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
ICE detains Massachusetts student Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, sparking high school walkouts
ICE detains Massachusetts student Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, sparking high school walkouts The 18-year-old was detained while on his way to volleyball practice. His Massachusetts community is demanding his release. Show Caption Hide Caption Trump admin offers $1,000 to migrants who self-deport using CBP One app The move is the latest part of President Donald Trump's effort to crack down on illegal immigration. Scripps News Federal immigration agents detained a Massachusetts high school student on his way to volleyball practice, mistaking him when he drove his father's car. The May 31 arrest of Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, 18, has triggered protests and walkouts at Milford High School, where he is an 11th-grade student, according to the Milford Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Network. The school had its graduation a day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Gomes Da Silva while he was heading with teammates to practice. The Brazilian teen was set to perform drums in the school's band at the June 1 graduation ceremony. Milford High School Principal Joshua Otlin said at the graduation ceremony that the community couldn't pretend all was well. 'There is fear and anxiety, where there should be hope and confidence,' he said on the school's turf field. 'There is wrenching despair and righteous anger, where there should be gratitude and joy.' Instead, graduation speakers admitted to making last-minute adjustments to address the arrest of their classmate. Class President Luke Benjamin Donis, a champion wrestler, urged his fellow graduates to 'give whatever time they can' to join a large rally at Milford Town Hall after the high school ceremony. Who is Marcelo Gomes Da Silva? Gomes Da Silva arrived in the United States legally in 2012 on a visitor's visa that later turned into a student visa, his lawyers said. It isn't clear when that visa expired. He has no criminal history. He was active in his high school marching band and church band, along with excelling in school and was involved in extracurricular and faith-based activities, his immigration lawyer Robin Nice said in a statement. Gomes Da Silva does not pose a danger to the community and isn't a flight risk, Nice said. He has an immigration court hearing scheduled for the afternoon of June 5, where Nice said they would request his release on bond. His lawyers planned to pursue an asylum claim for him in the United States. On June 1, federal Judge Richard Stearns of Massachusetts issued an emergency order banning ICE from transferring Gomes Da Silva out of the state for at least 72 hours. On June 2, Milford High students staged a walkout protesting Gomes' detention. Students left their campus wearing Brazilian flags, holding signs and a white banner reading 'Free Marcelo.' Others donned white shirts inscribed with his name. ICE: If anyone is here unlawfully 'we're going to arrest them' ICE has said its agents were targeting Gomes Da Silva's father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, who is in the country illegally from Brazil. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said agents targeted Gomes-Pereira with information from local enforcement due to reckless driving, speeding that topped 100 mph. But when they stopped Gomes-Pereira's car, they arrested Gomes Da Silva. On June 2, Patricia Hyde, acting field director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations' in Boston, said they detained him because local agencies didn't cooperate with ICE. 'When we go into the community and find others who are unlawfully here, we're going to arrest them,' Hyde said. 'He's 18 years old and he's illegally in this country. We had to go to Milford looking for someone else and if we come across someone else who is here illegally, we're going to arrest them.' Officials said Gomes Da Silva was detained as officials announced the results of 'Operation Patriot,' which arrested 1,500 people across Massachusetts suspected of being in the country illegally. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Lyons said Gomes Da Silva's father hasn't turned himself in, although he knows he's the target of the operation. Reaction to the student's detention In a video posted to social media, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, said of the situation, 'This isn't about public safety. This is about cruelty and fear engendered by the Trump administration.' Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said the teenager's arrest left her 'outraged.' 'Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads-up and no answers to their questions,' she said in a statement. 'I'm demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected.' Nick Molinari, president of the Milford Teachers Association, said in a statement that ICE agents targeted a student in a 'deliberate act of cruelty, traumatizing his family, friends and peers.' 'This is immoral, unnecessary and should be universally condemned,' he said. 'We will not stand by while the rights and humanity of our students are violated.'
