The 18-year-old was taken into custody on his way to volleyball practice. His Massachusetts community is demanding his release.
Community rally against ice attacks after high school students are detained
Communities in California and Massachusetts have protested recent ice attacks that led to the arrest of restaurant workers and high school students.
Federal immigration agents detained a Massachusetts high school student on their way to volleyball practice and mistakenly drove his father’s car.
The arrest of Marce Logo Mesda Silva, 18, on May 31, sparked protests and strikes at Milford High School, according to Milford Daily News, part of the USA Today Network.
The school graduated the day after immigration and customs enforcement took Gomez da Silva into custody while practicing with his teammates. The Brazilian teen was set to play drums in the school band at the graduation ceremony on June 1st.
Milford High School Principal Joshua Otlin said at the graduation ceremony that the community couldn’t pretend everything was going well.
“There’s fear and anxiety, there’s hope and confidence there,” he said in the school’s grass field. “There is despair and righteous anger, where there is supposed to be gratitude and joy.”
Instead, the graduation speakers allowed last minute adjustments to deal with the arrest of their classmates. Champion wrestler class president Luke Benjamin Donis urged fellow alumni to “give as much time as possible” to attend a massive rally at Milford City Hall after the high school ceremony.
Who is Marcelo Gomez da Silva?
Gomes Da Silva legally arrived in the United States on a visitor’s visa in 2012 and later became a student visa, his lawyer said. It is not clear when the visa expired. He has no criminal history.
He worked in high school marching and church bands, excelled in school and was involved in extracurricular and faith-based activities, his immigration lawyer, Robin Neese, said in a statement.
Gomes Da Silva poses no risk to the community and is not a flight risk, Nice said.
He has an immigration court hearing scheduled for the afternoon of June 5th. His lawyers had planned to pursue his asylum claims in the United States. On June 1, Massachusetts federal judge Richard Stearns issued an emergency order banning Gomez da Silva from moving out of state for at least 72 hours.
On June 2nd, students from Milford High staged a strike protesting Gomez’s detention. The student leaves campus wearing a Brazilian flag and holds a sign and a white flag with the words “Free Marcelo” written on it. Others wore white shirts engraved in his name.
ICE: Someone here illegally “We’re going to arrest them.”
Ice said the agent was targeting Gomes Da Silva’s father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira. Acting ice director Todd Lyons said the agents targeted Gomez Pereira to target information from local enforcement through reckless driving, increasing speeds above 100 mph. However, when they stopped Gomez Pereira’s car, they arrested Gomez da Silva.
On June 2, Patricia Hyde, field director of Boston’s ice enforcement and removal operations, said local agencies had detained him for not working with ICE.
“If we go to the community and find other people here illegally, we’re going to arrest them,” Hyde said. “He’s 18 years old and he’s illegal in this country. We had to go to Milford looking for someone else. If we encounter someone else here illegally, we arrest them.”
Officials said Gomez da Silva was taken into custody after officials announced the results of the “Operation Patriot.” He will maintain custody of the ice as removal procedures are pending, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Lions say Gomez da Silva’s father is not attracting himself, but he knows he is the target of the surgery.
Response to student detention
In a video posted to social media, U.S. Senator D-Massachusetts said about the situation: “This is not about public safety. It is about the cruelty and fear created by the Trump administration.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy said the teenager’s arrest “enthussed” her.
“Again, local officials and law enforcement are left in the dark, with no heads-ups or answers to their questions,” she said in a statement. “The Ice calls for immediate information on why he was arrested, where he is and how his legitimate process is protected.”
In a statement, Milford Teachers Association president Nick Molinari said the ICE agents targeted students with “injurying family, friends and peers and intentionally cruel conduct.”
“This is immoral, unnecessary and should be universally condemned,” he said. “We can’t wait while we violate the rights and humanity of our students.”
