Latest news with #MarceloGomesdaSilva
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
Massachusetts high school student released from US immigration custody
Classmates react and celebrate after an immigration judge ordered released on bond Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), outside the Immigration court in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Classmates and relatives react and celebrate after an immigration judge ordered released on bond Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), outside the Immigration court in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Classmates react and celebrate after an immigration judge ordered released on bond Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), outside the Immigration court in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Classmates gather outside the Immigration court as an immigration judge held a bond hearing for Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder A Homeland Security officer speaks to classmates and relatives gathered outside the Immigration court as an immigration judge held a bond hearing for Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder BOSTON - A Massachusetts high school student who was arrested during the weekend by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on his way to volleyball practice was released from custody on Thursday after a judge granted him bond. Marcelo Gomes da Silva, 18, was granted a $2,000 bond by Immigration Judge Jenny Beverly in Chelmsford, allowing him to return home to his family in the Boston suburb of Milford following his Saturday arrest during a traffic stop. The detention of the Brazilian, who arrived in the United States as a child in 2012 on a now-lapsed visa, prompted protests in Massachusetts as the incident became a flashpoint in Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to ramp up immigration arrests and deportations. Classmates gathered outside the immigration court celebrated after word of the judge's decision reached them. Miriam Conrad, one of his lawyers, in an email called his arrest "pointless and cruel." In a video posted by GBH News following his release, Gomes told reporters that he spent his time in custody praying. "It's not a good place," he added. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Milford High School junior had been driving his father's vehicle when he was arrested by ICE following a traffic stop, the agency's acting director, Todd Lyons, told reporters on Monday. ICE officials said Gomes was not the target of the investigation that led to his arrest, and that authorities instead were seeking his father, who has not been arrested. "He's in this country illegally, and we're not going to walk away from anybody," Lyons told reporters. In response to a lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully detained, U.S. District Judge George O'Toole issued an order barring immigration authorities from transferring Gomes out of Massachusetts without 48 hours' notice. The lawsuit said Gomes entered the United States on a student visa in 2012. While his visa status has lapsed, the lawsuit said he intends to apply for asylum. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNN
13 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Immigration judge grants bond to Massachusetts teen arrested on his way to volleyball practice
An immigration judge on Thursday granted bond to a Massachusetts high school student who was arrested on his way to a volleyball practice last weekend. Marcelo Gomes da Silva, 18, who came to the US from Brazil at age 7, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday. Authorities have said the agents were looking for the Milford High School teenager's father, who owns the car Gomes da Silva was driving at the time and had parked in a friend's driveway. 'This kid is as clean as a whistle,' his lawyer, Robin Nice, told reporters after a hearing in Chelmsford. Gomes da Silva, who was expected to be released Thursday afternoon on $2,000 bond, appeared via video from elsewhere in Massachusetts. She said Gomes da Silva slept on the cement floor of a room with 25 to 35 men most of the time he was detained with no windows, no time outside and no permission to shower. 'He's looking forward to eating Snickers and chicken nuggets when he is released,' she said. US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said earlier this week that 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. Gomes da Silva initially entered the country on a visitor visa and was later issued a student visa that has since lapsed, Nice said. She described him as deeply rooted in his community and a dedicated member of both the school marching band and a band at his church. A federal judge considering Gomes da Silva's request to be released while his 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. The government sought permission Wednesday to move Gomes da Silva to a detention facility in a different New England state, Nice said, a move his lawyers opposed because they feared it would delay the immigration hearing. A judge quickly denied the request. 'I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It's no family without him,' João Paulo Gomes Pereira said in a video released Wednesday by his son's attorney. 'We love America. Please, bring my son back.' Students at Milford High staged a walkout Monday to protest his detainment. 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. The immigration judge set a placeholder hearing date for a couple of weeks from Thursday, but it might take place months from that, Nice said. 'We're optimistic that he'll have a future in the United States,' she said.
The Independent
15 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Family of teen detained by ICE shares emotional video pleading for his return
The family of the 18-year-old Massachusetts high school junior detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement while driving to volleyball practice released an emotional video pleading for his safe return home. Marcelo Gomes da Silva 's family addressed ICE directly in the emotional clip, filmed in their son's bedroom and released by their attorney Wednesday. 'I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It's no family without him,' said his father, João Paulo Gomes Pereira. 'We love America. Please, bring my son back.' After his father spoke, the teen's mother pleaded with ICE agents, saying she missed her son and needed to hug him, before his two younger siblings spoke. 'I just really miss having him with me. I just want to give him a hug. When he gets back, I will give him a very big hug. But ICE, please get him out, please,' his younger brother, Miguel, said. His little sister, Mariana, said she missed having sleepovers and watching movies with her brother, who she said would cook her food. 'I just miss everything about him. I miss when he used to make ramen for me, and chicken nuggets in the air fryer. I just really miss him and I hope he comes back soon,' Mariana said. Gomes da Silva, who came to the U.S. from Brazil when he was seven years old, was detained Saturday – but he was not the original target for their arrest, ICE officials said. Agents were looking to pull over his father, who was not in the car, because of his 'habit of reckless driving' at speeds over 100 mph, according to the Department of Homeland Security. '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 said of the teen's arrest. The teenager first came to the U.S. on a visitor visa before obtaining a student visa that has since lapsed, according to his attorney, Robin Nice. Gomes da Silva was involved in his community and a dedicated member of both the Milford High School marching band and the band at his local church, according to Nice. In the video, which was filmed in the teen's bedroom, a drum set is visible. 'He has glowing letters from his principal, from teachers, from his volleyball coach, from his pastor. He has no criminal record. This kid has never interacted with police until last Saturday, and he entered the U.S. lawfully,' Nice said. 'Even if removal proceedings are the appropriate avenue in his case, which is fine, there's no reason for him to be detained.' A federal judge is weighing Gomes da Silva's request to be released while his immigration case proceeds. An emergency order was issued directing the government not to remove him from the country or transfer him for at least 72 hours. Gomes da Silva is currently being held at a processing facility that is not intended for detention, with 40 men to a room sleeping on cement floors. They are sometimes only given crackers to eat, Nice said. The teenager's arrest has sparked widespread outrage and prompted a walkout protest at his high school Monday as students called for his release. 'This is a really active, involved kid,' Nice said. 'He is a credit to our society and it is backwards and crazy that we're putting him through this.'
Straits Times
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Massachusetts high school student should be released, US immigration judge rules
Classmates react and celebrate after an immigration judge ordered released on bond Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), outside the Immigration court in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Classmates and relatives react and celebrate after an immigration judge ordered released on bond Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), outside the Immigration court in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Classmates react and celebrate after an immigration judge ordered released on bond Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), outside the Immigration court in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Classmates gather outside the Immigration court as an immigration judge held a bond hearing for Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder A Homeland Security officer speaks to classmates and relatives gathered outside the Immigration court as an immigration judge held a bond hearing for Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school student from Milford who was detained by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE), in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder BOSTON - A Massachusetts high school student who was arrested during the weekend by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on his way to volleyball practice was ordered released on a $2,000 bond on Thursday. A lawyer for Marcelo Gomes Da Silva said the decision by Immigration Judge Jenny Beverly in Chelmsford cleared the way for the 18-year-old to return home to his family in the Boston suburb of Milford and be released from immigration custody following his Saturday arrest during a traffic stop. The detention of the Brazilian, who arrived in the United States when he was 5 on a now-lapsed visa, prompted protests in Massachusetts as the incident became a flashpoint in Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to ramp up immigration arrests and deportations. Classmates gathered outside the immigration court celebrated after word of the judge's decision reached them. "We are thrilled that Marcelo soon will be back home with his family and community," Miriam Conrad, one of his lawyers, said in an email. "But this shows how pointless and cruel the arrest was in the first place." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Milford High School junior had been driving his father's vehicle when he was arrested by ICE following a traffic stop, the agency's acting director, Todd Lyons, told reporters on Monday. ICE officials said Gomes was not the target of the investigation that led to his arrest, and that authorities instead were seeking his father, who has not been arrested. "He's in this country illegally, and we're not going to walk away from anybody," Lyons told reporters. In response to a lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully detained, U.S. District Judge George O'Toole issued an order barring immigration authorities from transferring Gomes out of Massachusetts without 48 hours' notice. The lawsuit said that Gomes entered the United States on a student visa in 2012. While his visa status has lapsed, the lawsuit said he intends to apply for asylum. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNN
17 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Immigration judge grants bond to Massachusetts teen arrested on his way to volleyball practice
Immigration Immigration politicsFacebookTweetLink Follow An immigration judge on Thursday granted bond to a Massachusetts high school student who was arrested on his way to a volleyball practice last weekend. Marcelo Gomes da Silva, 18, who came to the US from Brazil at age 7, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday. Authorities have said the agents were looking for the Milford High School teenager's father, who owns the car Gomes da Silva was driving at the time and had parked in a friend's driveway. 'This kid is as clean as a whistle,' his lawyer, Robin Nice, told reporters after a hearing in Chelmsford. Gomes da Silva, who was expected to be released Thursday afternoon on $2,000 bond, appeared via video from elsewhere in Massachusetts. She said Gomes da Silva slept on the cement floor of a room with 25 to 35 men most of the time he was detained with no windows, no time outside and no permission to shower. 'He's looking forward to eating Snickers and chicken nuggets when he is released,' she said. US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said earlier this week that 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. Gomes da Silva initially entered the country on a visitor visa and was later issued a student visa that has since lapsed, Nice said. She described him as deeply rooted in his community and a dedicated member of both the school marching band and a band at his church. A federal judge considering Gomes da Silva's request to be released while his 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. The government sought permission Wednesday to move Gomes da Silva to a detention facility in a different New England state, Nice said, a move his lawyers opposed because they feared it would delay the immigration hearing. A judge quickly denied the request. 'I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It's no family without him,' João Paulo Gomes Pereira said in a video released Wednesday by his son's attorney. 'We love America. Please, bring my son back.' Students at Milford High staged a walkout Monday to protest his detainment. 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. The immigration judge set a placeholder hearing date for a couple of weeks from Thursday, but it might take place months from that, Nice said. 'We're optimistic that he'll have a future in the United States,' she said.
