High School Student Detained By ICE Released On Bond

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, an 18-year-old student from Milford, Massachusetts, was released from custody on Thursday (June 5) after a judge granted him a $2,000 bond. Gomes da Silva, who came to the United States from Brazil at age seven, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while on his way to volleyball practice. The agents were reportedly looking for his father, who owns the car Gomes da Silva was driving at the time.

Gomes da Silva described the conditions during his six-day detention as "humiliating," sharing that he slept on a cement floor with only a thin metallic blanket. His lawyer, Robin Nice, criticized the arrest, stating, "This is all a waste. We disrupted a kid’s life."

ICE spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin explained that while the agents were targeting a "known public safety threat," they arrested Gomes da Silva because he was found to be in the U.S. illegally. Gomes da Silva's student visa had lapsed, and he was unaware of his immigration status until his arrest.

The local community rallied in support of Gomes da Silva, with students at Milford High staging a walkout and dedicating a volleyball match to him. His father, João Paulo Gomes Pereira, expressed the family's distress, saying, "We need Marcelo back home. It’s no family without him."

Gomes da Silva's next immigration hearing is scheduled for a few weeks from Thursday, though it may be delayed. His lawyer remains optimistic about his future in the U.S.