Massachusetts students and teachers protest teen’s ‘inhumane’ arrest by Ice

Students at Massachusetts’s Milford high school staged a walkout on Monday to show support for their classmate Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who was headed to volleyball practice when he was detained over the weekend by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents who were actually looking for his father.

Gomes Da Silva, a Brazilian national, entered the US in 2012 on a student visa, according to a court document since filed by his lawyer. The filing states that Gomes Da Silva’s student visa status has since lapsed – but that he is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum.

Currently a junior at Milford high school, Gomes Da Silva has “no criminal history anywhere in the world”, his lawyer maintained.

He was reportedly being held at Ice’s Boston field office, and his attorney filed a petition seeking his immediate release, arguing that his detention was unlawful.

Da Silva’s plight has inspired protests. On Monday, many students at Milford high school staged a walkout in solidarity with Gomes Da Silva, holding signs and wearing T-shirts that said “Free Marcelo”.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association issued a statement on Monday supporting the walkout and condemning Ice’s actions as “cruel” and “inhumane”.

“Milford students are leading and their educators are following with admiration, moved by their commitment to do what is right and their solidarity with a classmate in need,” the statement said.

“Communities are rising,” the statement added. “Just yesterday, 200 Milford teachers joined students in their march and rally, standing together in unity and taking their lead. We are inspired by the brave young people who walked out in protest.”

A day earlier, Gomes Da Silva was a conspicuous absence at Milford high school’s graduation ceremony. According to the Boston Globe, he had been scheduled to perform with the school band at the commencement.

After the ceremony, the Boston Globe reported that hundreds of students and community members marched to Milford town hall to protest against Gomes Da Silva’s detention and call for his release.

Also Sunday, a judge issued a order barring Ice from transferring him out of Massachusetts for at least 72 hours.

A second order issued on Monday stated that Gomes Da Silva “shall not be moved outside the district of Massachusetts without providing the court 48 hours’ advance notice of the move and the reason therefore” while the court considers the high schooler’s lawsuit. The judge also gave the government 14 days to respond to the petition.

During a news conference on Monday, the acting director of Ice, Todd Lyons, defended the agency’s actions, telling reporters that Da Silva was “in this country illegally and we’re not going to walk away from anybody”.

Lyons said that immigration agents made the traffic stop because they were looking for Gomes Da Silva’s father, who Lyons said was in the US without legal status.

Lyons said that Gomes Da Silva was driving his father’s vehicle when he was pulled over and detained.

“He was not the target of the investigation,” added Patricia Hyde, the acting director of enforcement and removal operations at Ice’s Boston field office. “He’s 18 years old – and he’s unlawfully in this country. Unfortunately, we had to go to Milford to look for someone else, and we came across him – he was arrested.”

Lyons added that when authorities encounter someone who is in the country illegally, “we will take action on that”.

“We’re doing the job that Ice should have been doing all along,” Lyons said. “We enforce all immigration laws.”

Over the weekend, Maura Healey, the Massachusetts Democratic governor, condemned Gomes Da Silva’s arrest, saying that she was “disturbed and outraged”.