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2mo ago

ICE Detains Milford Teen Driving Father’s Car, Prompting Protests

His lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition that led a federal judge to bar his transfer outside Massachusetts after ICE detained nearly 1,500 people in May.

In this Oct. 22, 2018, photo U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents surround and detain a person during a raid in Richmond, Va. ICE's enforcement and removal operations, like the five-person field office team outside Richmond, hunt people in the U.S. illegally, some of whom have been here for decades, working and raising families. Carrying out President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies has exposed ICE to unprecedented public scrutiny and criticism, even though officers say they're doing largely the same job they did before the election, prioritizing criminals. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Field Operations patch is displayed at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Headquarters on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Overview

  • Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, 18, was stopped by ICE on May 31 while driving his father’s vehicle en route to volleyball practice as agents sought his father, João Paulo Gomes-Pereira.
  • Although not the operation’s intended target, Gomes Da Silva was held after officials discovered his lapsed student visa; he has no criminal record and has lived in the U.S. since 2012.
  • Hundreds of Milford High students, graduates and community members marched from commencement ceremonies to Town Hall on June 1, chanting “Free Marcelo” and staging walkouts to demand his release.
  • Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey denounced the detention for sowing fear in local communities and has demanded ICE explain the teen’s arrest and detention conditions.
  • A federal judge has barred Gomes Da Silva’s removal outside Massachusetts for at least 72 hours following his lawyers’ habeas petition, but he remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.