Latest news with #MilfordHighSchool
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
‘Please, get him out': Little brother of detained teen sends a message to ICE
The family of a teenager from Massachusetts who was detained recorded an emotional plea asking ICE officials to release Marcelo Gomes da Silva. The 18-year-old is currently being held in an immigration detention center after being pulled over by police. Students at Milford High School staged a walk-out wearing white to show their support while the community launched a fundraiser to assist Gomes da Silva with legal expenses.
4 hours ago
- General
Family of teen arrested on his way to volleyball practice asks immigration officials to release him
CONCORD, N.H. -- 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.
The Herald Scotland
17 hours ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
ICE detains Massachusetts student, sparking high school walkouts
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."
Yahoo
a day 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.
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- General
- Int'l Business Times
Nearly 1,500 Immigrants Arrested in Massachusetts Last Month Amid ICE Crackdown
Federal officials detained 1,461 immigrants across Massachusetts last month, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announced, as part of intensified immigration enforcement efforts carried out by the Trump administration. According to comments by Foley reported by Axios, 790 of those detained had committed crimes in addition to being in the country unlawfully. She said the arrests included individuals accused of serious offenses such as murder and rape, but did not specify what violations were committed by those without criminal records. "To any alien criminal offenders victimizing Massachusetts residents, ICE is not going away," Foley said. "We are coming for you." The crackdown has sparked criticism from community members, elected officials, and advocacy organizations, who argue that many of those arrested had no criminal record and, in some cases, held legal status. One arrest drawing particular attention is that of 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, a Milford High School student detained Saturday while driving to volleyball practice. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said they were seeking his father when they stopped the vehicle. "He's in this country illegally, and we're not going to walk away from anybody," said Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE. Patricia Hyde, acting director of enforcement and removal operations at ICE's Boston field office, added, "He was not the target of the investigation. He's 18 years old—and he's unlawfully in this country." Gomes Da Silva, a Brazilian national who arrived in the U.S. on a student visa in 2012, has no known criminal record and plans to apply for asylum, according to his attorney. His detention has prompted legal action, with a federal judge issuing an order barring his removal from Massachusetts while the court considers his petition. The arrest has sparked local protests, including a walkout Monday by students at Milford High School. Many wore "Free Marcelo" T-shirts and held signs. The Massachusetts Teachers Association issued a statement supporting the demonstration and criticizing ICE's actions. Massachusetts has become a focal point in national immigration debates, particularly in sanctuary jurisdictions where local law enforcement limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Foley said that when local police do not assist, "we must go out into the community," adding, "we've been completely transparent with that." Originally published on Latin Times
