BOSTON – Crowds wearing white packed the stands of a Massachusetts high school gymnasium Tuesday to support an 18-year-old volleyball player detained by federal immigration authorities.
“Our game on June 3rd will be played in honor of Marcelo. We will continue to pray and fight for our brother,” the Milford High School boys volleyball team said in an Instagram post, hours before the game.
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Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a junior born in Brazil, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday on his way to volleyball practice. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said Monday that 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,” he said when reporters asked about the teen.
Asked why ICE would detain an 18-year-old with no criminal record, Lyons answered, “I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in this country illegally and we’re not going to walk away from anybody.”
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.
Gomes da Silva initially came to the U.S. in 2013 on a visitor visa, said his attorney Robin Nice, and was later issued a student visa that has since lapsed. A hearing in immigration court is scheduled for Thursday.
Meanwhile, 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.
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.
In a video posted Tuesday on X, Healey described Gomes da Silva as an honors student who played in the high school band, in addition to being a member of the volleyball team. She said he'd lived in the Milford community since he was 5 years old.
“They need to let him go,” Healey said. "Marcelo belongs in school, not in a detention center."
The superintendent of Milford schools said the district plays no part in immigration enforcement and supports all families, including immigrants.
Hundreds of students at the school staged a walkout Monday, holding signs reading “Free our friend” and “America was built by immigrants.” Teachers will be at Tuesday night’s volleyball game along with other community members who support Gomes da Silva’s release, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Teachers Association said.
“The Massachusetts Teachers Association condemns ICE’s cruel and inhumane actions in the strongest possible terms,” the union said in a statement. “We call on leaders at every level to ensure our schools remain safe spaces of learning, belonging and safety for all students — not hunting grounds for ICE agents.”
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Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire.