Latest news with #Milford
CBS News
4 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Milford, Massachusetts high school student in ICE custody will have hearing Thursday
Cousin of Milford teen detained by ICE says he wants to go back to school Cousin of Milford teen detained by ICE says he wants to go back to school Cousin of Milford teen detained by ICE says he wants to go back to school Marcelo Gomes, the Milford, Massachusetts high school student currently detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will have a hearing in his case Thursday, his attorney said. Gomes, an 18-year-old junior at Milford High School, was driving to volleyball practice Saturday morning when he was pulled over by several ICE agents and taken into custody. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the agents were looking for his father but detained the teen because they say he is also in the country illegally. The car Gomes was driving was registered to his father, 38-year-old Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira. Marcelo Gomes immigration hearing Gomes is being held at an ICE detention center in Burlington, Massachusetts. A judge has ordered that Gomes should not be moved until his hearing Thursday afternoon at an immigration court in Chelmsford. "At that time, we will request his release from ICE custody on bond," Gomes's attorney Robin Nice said in a statement Tuesday. "He's 18 years old. He's unlawfully in this country and, unfortunately, we had to go to Milford to look for someone else and we came across him and he was arrested," Patricia Hyde, the ICE Boston field office director, told reporters Monday. Nice said Gomes "entered the United States lawfully when he was just barely 7-years old." "He is deeply rooted in his community-active in his church, a dedicated member of both his high school marching band and church band, and surrounded by friends, teachers, and mentors who care deeply about him," she said in her statement. "Marcelo has no criminal history. 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. We are hopeful the court will recognize this, and grant his release on bond so Marcelo can return to his family and community." ICE at Milford home Gomes's cousin Julia Sampaio said the family's home in Milford has been surrounded by ICE agents since the teen's arrest Saturday. "His dad hasn't turned himself in yet and his dad knows he's the target," Lyons told reporters Monday in Boston.
The Guardian
5 hours 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'.
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- General
- Irish Times
Woman killed in road traffic collision in Donegal
A woman in her seventies has been killed in a road traffic collision in Co Donegal. She died after the incident on the R245 at Bunlin Bridge, Milford, Co Donegal on Friday evening. The collision, involving a car and a van, occurred at approximately 7.30pm. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was removed to Letterkenny University Hospital where a postmortem examination took place. READ MORE The male driver of the van, aged in his 50s, was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. There were no other injuries reported. The woman's death was the only road traffic fatality of the bank holiday weekend. By contrast two people died on Irish roads over the May bank holiday weekend, three were killed over Easter and three more during the February bank holiday weekend.
CBS News
21 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Family of Massachusetts teen detained by ICE scared, proud of community response
Cousin of Milford teen detained by ICE says he wants to go back to school Cousin of Milford teen detained by ICE says he wants to go back to school Cousin of Milford teen detained by ICE says he wants to go back to school The family of 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes is speaking out after the Milford High School student was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Saturday while on his way to volleyball practice. Gomes, who is undocumented, remains in ICE custody at a detention facility in Burlington. "He was telling ICE agents that he's a kid, he needs to go back to school and get his homework done," said Julia Sampaio, Gomes' cousin, who was at the scene of the arrest. Family scared, looking for answers Sampaio said at least six or seven ICE agents and multiple unmarked vehicles were involved in the arrest. She was not permitted to speak to her cousin when she arrived, a moment she described as deeply frustrating. "I wanted answers not for myself but for his family," she said. Gomes was not the initial target of the operation. ICE was reportedly looking for his father, Jao-Paolo Gomes, whose name the car was registered under. Marcelo's arrest has since spread fear through the family. "They're scared to leave their homes, they're even scared to walk their dogs or throw their trash out because the moment they step out of their homes they could be detained at any point," Sampaio said. "Just down the drain" An underage passenger in the car, who is also undocumented and requested anonymity, shared the emotional toll the experience took on him. "I think mainly sadness. Sadness that the thought of everything that my parents left behind, everything that my parents sacrificed for in the ten years we've been here," he said. "All of that just gone down the drain. Everything I had personally worked for in my high school career all of that just down the drain." Since the arrest, ICE agents have reportedly remained outside the Gomes family home. Despite the fear and uncertainty, the family says they've found strength in the support from the local community, particularly at the rally at town hall on Sunday. "I was very proud, but also in tears the whole time just seeing how our community came together and fought for the system to change," Sampaio said. Gomes' case is still developing. Family members and advocates continue to call for his release and broader immigration reform.
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
Outcry after Boston teen arrested by Ice agents on way to volleyball practice
Trump administration officials sparked a massive protest on Sunday in a Boston suburb after immigration agents detained a high school student on his way to volleyball practice while they were seeking his father. The high schooler in question, 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, entered the United States on a student visa, according to a lawsuit filed on his behalf after his arrest. While his student visa status has lapsed, he is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum. Nonetheless, the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) on Monday defended his agency's actions, saying the teen in question is 'in this country illegally and we're not going to walk away from anybody'. Gomes was arrested Saturday in Milford, Massachusetts, where he lives. Ice's acting director Todd Lyons and Patricia Hyde – who directs the agency's enforcement and removal operations in Boston – acknowledged Gomes was not the target of the immigration investigation that led to his arrest and that authorities instead were seeking his father, who remains at large. But the Milford high school student had been driving his father's vehicle when he was arrested following a traffic stop, Lyons said. Lyons said that when authorities encounter someone in the country illegally, 'we will take action on that'. 'We're doing the job that Ice should have been doing all along,' he said. 'We enforce all immigration laws.' The state's Democratic governor, Maura Healey, said she was 'disturbed and outraged' by Gomes's arrest. And hundreds rallied in Milford on Sunday to protest Gomes's detention. A federal judge issued an emergency order on Sunday preventing authorities from transferring Gomes out of Massachusetts for at least 72 hours in response to his lawsuit arguing that he was unlawfully detained. Reuters contributed to this report
