Latest news with #RobinNice
CNN
5 days 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.
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Milford, Massachusetts teen held by ICE faces first deportation hearing Thursday
Marcelo Gomes, the Milford, Massachusetts teenager detained by ICE last weekend, will have his first deportation hearing Thursday afternoon. Gomes, an 18-year-old junior at Milford High School, is originally from Brazil. He has been held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Burlington since his arrest on May 31. Agents were looking for his father, but when they found Gomes's student visa had expired several years ago, he was taken into custody. The introductory hearing at 1 p.m. in Chelmsford Thursday will start the deportation process. Gomes will appear via video from Burlington. The judge could decide that Gomes can be released from custody during the process. If he's granted bail, and can post it, he would be allowed to leave the Burlington office. Gomes met with his two attorneys in person for the first time Wednesday evening. They said he described the conditions in the Burlington office as "abhorrent" and that he's been sleeping on the floor and has had little food. ICE wanted to move Gomes to a detention center in Central Falls, Rhode Island, where they said a bed was available, but his attorneys opposed it and a judge agreed. Gomes was driving to volleyball practice with some of his teammates Saturday morning in his father's car when he was pulled over by several ICE agents. Gomes was detained immediately because of the lapsed visa. His attorney Robin Nice said Gomes came to the U.S. lawfully from Brazil when he was 7 years old and should not be detained. Gomes's father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, is still wanted by ICE. He appeared in a video with his family earlier this week, pleading for ICE to release his son.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Teen arrested on his way to volleyball practice to face immigration judge
A Massachusetts high school student arrested on his way to volleyball practice last weekend was scheduled to appear before an immigration judge Thursday. Marcelo Gomes da Silva, 18, 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 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. The teen faced a hearing in immigration court in Chelmsford. U.S. 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, said his attorney, Robin Nice. 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.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Massachusetts teen detained by ICE describes conditions as "abhorrent," attorney says
Attorneys for the Milford teenager who was detained over the weekend met with him at the ICE field office in Burlington, Massachusetts where he's been held since he was taken into custody. "He has a cold. He is describing conditions he is in as being abhorrent and frankly embarrassing for our country," said attorney Robin Nice. Milford teen taken to hospital Gomes' attorneys said he has had little food, is sleeping on the floor because the field office is out of beds, and was taken to the hospital Tuesday for concerns he had a concussion. "He is very tired. He is not sleeping well," said Attorney Miriam Conrad. "The lights are on all night long. He is not getting any fresh air or natural sunlight." Marcelo Gomes Gomes family photo Marcelo Gomes, 18, of Milford, was driving his father's car when ICE pulled him over on Saturday. Gomes' attorneys tell WBZ-TV he entered the country legally when he was seven, but that visa has expired. In a briefing on Monday, federal immigration officials said Gomes is in the United States illegally and revealed Gomes' father was their intended target. Joao-Paulo Gomes-Pereira made a plea directly to ICE alongside Marcelo's mother and siblings, in a video message first obtained by WBZ-TV. Asked about volleyball, finals week "He wanted to know the result of the volleyball team's match yesterday," said Nice. "He asked about his finals schedule because he is in finals week for school. Things a teenage kid would be concerned about." Nice will lead the efforts Thursday, when Gomes makes his first appearance in immigration court. That's where she will file a petition for his release with the goal of being granted bail. "This kid has no criminal record," said Nice. "He has never been in detention or suspended from school, he is the poster child of what you want your kids to grow up and become." If Gomes is granted bail on Thursday, the case against him would move forward. Nice said immigration courts are backlogged, and it could take years for his case to run its course. Gomes, according to his attorneys, would be able to pursue multiple avenues to gain asylum or change his immigration status as his case progresses.
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Family of teen arrested on his way to volleyball practice asks immigration officials to release him
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.
