Massachusetts Teen in ICE Custody After Arrest Over Family Dispute

Zeneyda Barrera, an 18-year-old asylum applicant from Nicaragua, was detained by ICE following a minor altercation with her brother and is now held in a Maine jail.

• Zeneyda Barrera, an 18-year-old from Lynn, Massachusetts, was arrested after a dispute with her 12-year-old brother over a cellphone, during which police reported no injuries.
• Barrera, who is in the U.S. legally while her asylum application is processed, was released by local authorities but immediately detained by ICE agents at the courthouse.
• She has no prior criminal record, and her attorney had arranged for her case to be handled through a diversion program, which would have avoided formal charges.
• Barrera was transferred to Cumberland County Jail in Maine, leaving her family distraught and uncertain about her legal status or the reasons for her detention.
• Local officials and advocates have raised concerns about the case, questioning ICE's decision to target a nonviolent individual with legal status and warning of its potential to create fear in immigrant communities.

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