Latest news with #MilfordHigh
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Milford High School student receives warm welcome after returning home from ICE custody
Hanging out of the car with excitement, Marcelo Gomes da Silva couldn't wait to return home to Milford on Thursday after spending six days in ICE custody. 'The only thing I wanted to do when I got back here was hug my parents, my dad, yeah, my dad means the world to me,' said Marcelo Gomes da Silva. It was a warm welcome back with a crowd of friends and his family in tears as they embraced for the first time in nearly a week. Marcelo was on his way to volleyball practice last Saturday morning when ICE took him into custody. ICE officials have said his father was the intended target, and now Marcelo says his dad is afraid to leave the house. 'He's like in a prison now himself, thank God it's in his own house, but he knows if he leaves there's a chance ICE will try to find him and get him, like to be honest, I left my house they were already following me,' said Gomes da Silva. Marcelo says ICE took him into custody because he's here on an expired visa. 'I came here when I was six, so like I know I'm an immigrant in America, but like I'm in school, I never expected it to get to that point,' said Gomes da Silva. Since his arrest, this honors student missed out on playing the drums for graduation and a volleyball playoff match Tuesday night. 'Can't believe we lost that volleyball game,' said Gomes da Silva. 'I can't wait to get back to school, I got finals!' As he tries to get back to his life heading into his senior year at Milford High, Marcelo wears a reminder on his wrist of the conditions inside the ICE facility. 'This is a bracelet that was gifted to me from a Brazilian inmate in there,' said Gomes da Silva. It's a piece of the aluminum sheets he used to sleep on a concrete floor. Marcelo also says he hadn't showered in 6 days. 'I'll always be grateful for everything I have outside of that place,' said Gomes da Silva. Standing outside the detention facility in Burlington, Marcelo hopes his case will bring awareness to the issues around immigration. 'If I'm the only one that was able to leave that place, I lost because I want to do whatever I can to get them as much help as possible,' said Gomes da Silva. The high school student was released on a $2,000 bond Thursday and is due back in court at the end of June. 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
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Milford volleyball player's detainment is the latest intersection of sports and politics
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Legions of athletes, including the great Ted Williams, suspended or postponed their pro sports careers to enlist in the military during World War II. Racial segregation begat the color barrier code in our national pastime, baseball, before Jackie Robinson broke it in 1947. The Cold War reached a geopolitical pressure point in 1980 with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, so the US Olympic team boycotted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. Women deal with an enduring gender pay gap, so the four-time Women's World Cup champion Advertisement Now, a local high school athlete born in Brazil who came to this country at the age of 6 with his parents is caught up in the Trump and MAGA Advertisement 'Concerns about immigration policy have been at the forefront in our community for a while. They're certainly taken on a greater level of intensity and urgency now,' said Milford High principal Josh Otlin. 'We've been fearful that this day has been coming for months. We have a very high concentration of immigrant families in our community. We've seen in the past couple of weeks that there has been a dramatic increase in detainments in Milford. 'Marcelo's detention in Milford is part of what has been a surge in actions that started approximately two to three weeks ago.' The detainment of Gomes by ICE, which was seeking the young athlete and high school band member's father but scooped him up as collateral enforcement, shows the fragility of the sports bubble. The reaction by the community and the scene at Milford's Round of 16 tournament loss to Taunton displayed the flipside — the unifying fight and force. Milford fans wearing "Free Marcelo" T-shirts cheer on the Scarlet Hawks on Tuesday night. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff You must marvel at the power of sports to unite people for a common cause, to serve as an amplifier of calls for change. We saw this in the wake of the death of George Floyd when athletes took to the streets to demonstrate with ordinary citizens. Advertisement In that same spirit, the rallying cries in 'The volleyball game was a natural place for people to come together and speak on behalf of Marcelo,' said Otlin. The match milieu with t-shirts, stickers, and crowd calls with the message of 'Free Marcelo' reminded that sports resonate beyond just a final score. Reducing them down to only the numbers on a scoreboard misses their echo of humanity. It's a prosaic view harbored by those eager to bury their heads in the sand and annoyed others won't follow. Otlin said the outpouring was moving. That he's proud and inspired by the way his students have used their voices. The former social studies teacher is watching his students engage in an important real-time civics lesson. A Milford native, Otlin, 47, played sports for Milford High. He participated in soccer, swimming, and track. 'Milford is no different; it's like many American communities. High school sports are community events,' said Otlin. 'They bring together not only students in the school but students with their families, alumni, and older people in town. They're inter-generational events. 'Sports does so many good things for kids, one of them is bringing them into something bigger than themselves.' Advertisement Teammates of detained Milford volleyball player Marcelo Gomes da Silva tape his jersey to the wall before the start of Tuesday's playoff game against Taunton. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Losing a teammate to an injury or a suspension is one matter, but losing one to federal immigration policy is quite another. Otlin said the volleyball players, led by one of their captains, Colin Greco, have displayed maturity and resiliency. That's a credit to them and to coach Andrew Mainini and athletic director Peter Boucher, said Otlin. 'I was with the boys on Saturday morning when coach told them this terrible news. I was there to speak to them as well. They were shocked and speechless and upset,' said Otlin. 'I've been able to see over the past couple of days how they've moved past that initial shock into action and catalyzed their classmates with them into supporting their teammate. 'I know that Colin and all the guys on the team have been doing their very best to take advantage of the opportunity to speak out to those that are willing to listen.' Regardless of your political views or the rigidity of your stance on immigration enforcement, you should respect these young men taking the role of dedicated teammate to Gomes into the real world. Yes, sports serve as a distraction, a retreat, a salve from the bombardment of stress points flooding timelines and grabbing headlines. But when that peace is broken, they're also a way to fight back. Christopher L. Gasper is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mass. high school student detained by ICE now in solitary confinement, lawyers say
Editors note: This story has been updated to correct information about Milford High's volleyball game. A Milford High School student who has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since last weekend was recently moved from a field office holding cell into solitary confinement, his lawyers told MassLive Wednesday night. Attorney Miriam Conrad said in an interview that when she asked one of the guards at ICE's Burlington, Massachusetts, field office why her client — 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva — was no longer being held in a cell along with 25 to 30 other detainees, he said that the guards thought 'he'd be more comfortable' in a separate holding space. Conrad expressed skepticism about the guard's assessment, saying that her client 'needs people to talk to.' But she and another member of the teen's legal team — Attorney Robin Nice — also described the holding cell he was previously being kept in as lacking privacy and a comfortable place to sleep. Read more: 'I need to hug my son': Milford student's family sends ICE video pleading for release Gomes Da Silva, a Brazilian citizen who migrated to the U.S. when he was a young boy, has not been accused of a crime beyond being in the country illegally. ICE agents intended to target teen's father —João Paulo Gomes-Pereira — when they pulled over Gomes-Pereira's car on May 31, but instead arrested Gomes Da Silva after discovering that he was using the car to drive his volleyball teammates around, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said Monday. 'This is just absolutely senseless, heartless and heartbreaking.' Conrad said Wednesday. 'It serves no purpose to take a kid like this off the street who has not ever committed a crime in his is loved by his community, by his school, by his church and put him into these horrendous, inhumane conditions and try to take him out of the country.' Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to requests for comment Wednesday night. Prior to being moved to solitary confinement, Gomes Da Silva was being kept in a holding cell with a single toilet that provided no privacy for the dozens of people being held there, his lawyers said. Detainees were also provided nothing to sleep on aside from the cell's concrete floor, and food offerings at the field office have been so 'meager and verging on the point of inedible' that the opportunity to eat a Snickers bar became 'a high point' for the teen amidst his ongoing detainment, Conrad said. Gomes Da Silva told his lawyers that some guards at the field office have been nice, while others have been less friendly. The teen recounted one incident during which a guard pretended to open the door to the holding cell as if he was about to free the detainees, only to quickly close it while saying 'sike,' prompting laughs from the other guards, Conrad said. Read more: Judge denies ICE transfer of Milford student out of Mass., meeting with lawyer granted 'If he is lucky,' Gomes Da Silva is allowed one two-minute phone call with his family a day, his lawyers said. During their conversation with him Wednesday night, he said he misses his family. Earlier that day, Gomes Da Silva's family released a video pleading with ICE to set their loved one free. 'I need my son inside my home. I need to hug my son — please,' his father said in the video. Gomes Da Silva is set to appear in Chelmsford Immigration Court on Thursday at 1 p.m. His lawyers hope the judge will allow him to be released on bail. Gomes Da Silva sounded demoralized during a Tuesday phone call with Nice, she said. But his spirits seemed brighter when Nice and Conrad met with him Wednesday night. 'He is very much looking forward to having the hearing tomorrow,' Conrad said. 'I think he can see the light at the end of the tunnel.' Read more: Milford student arrested by ICE has fever, sleeping on floor, attorney says Earlier this week, ICE tried to have Gomes Da Silva transferred to a detention facility in Rhode Island, but the move was blocked by a federal judge. Outrage at the teen's arrest and detainment has poured out of the Milford community over the last few days. On Sunday, protesters gathered downtown to call for Gomes Da Silva's immediate release. Two days later, at Milford's volleyball game, attendees wore shirts with the phrase 'Free Marcelo.' 'I did the humane thing': Worcester city councilor stands by actions at ICE arrest 'I need to hug my son': Milford student's family sends ICE video pleading for release Worcester city councilor faces criminal charges in connection with ICE arrest Read the original article on MassLive.
Washington Post
03-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Massachusetts high school volleyball team rallies around teammate detained by immigration agents
BOSTON — A high school volleyball team in Massachusetts is asking fans to wear white to their match Tuesday night to show support for a teammate who has been detained by federal immigration authorities. 'Our game on June 3rd will be played in honor of Marcelo. We will continue to pray and fight for our brother,' the Milford High School boys volleyball team said in an Instagram post.
Boston Globe
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘He's just a kid': Milford High student, 18, detained by immigration officials, administrator says
School committee chair Matthew Zacchilli deferred comment to McIntyre's office on Saturday night. A Milford police dispatcher declined to comment. Advertisement Craig, an interim assistant principal at Stacy Middle School, declined to share the student's name, but called him 'an integral part' of the school and town community. She said she had first heard the news from several other educators in the district. 'It's just horrendous,' Craig said. 'These are babies. They're kids. I don't care that they're 18 — he's just a kid." Describing the student as a 'great kid,' Craig said the student had his 'issues' in middle school, but stressed that he had 'matured' since then. Aside from his role on the boys' volleyball team, she said he was known for helping coach girls volleyball and taking care of his younger siblings, who also attend Milford Public Schools. The news of his detention, she added, was 'heartbreaking.' Advertisement 'He's been in this country since he was 5,' Craig said. 'Where is he going to be sent? He can't function [on his own].' The student's country of birth was not made public on Saturday. According to a post circulating on social media, a rally to 'support our students' is scheduled to be held in front of Milford Town Hall at 12 p.m. Sunday — immediately after the conclusion of Milford High's graduation ceremony, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. 'Please join us for a peaceful, community-led demonstration in front of Milford Town Hall as we come together to show support for our students and families who are facing unjust treatment and fear,' reads the post. This is happening tomorrow if you are able! I will be at chaote for Pride 🌈 then head over 🕊️ Peaceful... Posted by It's not clear from the post who is organizing the rally, but Craig said that many educators and school community members plan to attend to show their support for the detained student and his family. Nicholas Molinari, president of the Milford Teachers Association, said in a brief phone call Saturday night that he intended to discuss the situation with the association's executive board. Camilo Fonseca can be reached at
