Massachusetts Teen Arrested by ICE on His Way to Volleyball Practice Released on Bond
Massachusetts An 18-year-old high school student from Massachusetts, who was taken into custody by U.S. immigration officials while heading to volleyball practice, has been released from detention after a judge granted him bond on Thursday.
Massachusetts Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Milford High School senior who arrived in the United States from Brazil at age 7, was arrested last Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. According to authorities, the agents had been searching for his father, the registered owner of the car Gomes da Silva was driving, which had been parked in a friend’s driveway at the time.
Massachusetts After six days in detention, Gomes da Silva was released on a $2,000 bond. Speaking to reporters outside the detention facility, he recalled the degrading conditions he endured during his confinement and credited his faith for helping him persevere. He showed reporters a makeshift bracelet fashioned from the thin metallic emergency blanket he used while sleeping on a cement floor.
Massachusetts “I’ll never forget that place,” he said. “I’ll never forget what it felt like.”
His attorney, Robin Nice, criticized the arrest, calling it unnecessary and deeply disruptive. “This should never have happened,” she said following a hearing in Chelmsford. “We disrupted a young man’s life and shook an entire community. These students should be enjoying prom and preparing for graduation—not sitting in detention. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and a misuse of our judicial resources.”
Nice described the conditions in which Gomes da Silva was held as harsh and unsuitable for a teenager. He was confined in a room with 25 to 35 adult men, many much older than him, with no windows, no access to the outdoors, limited privacy, and no permission to shower.
Gomes da Silva, echoing the values his father taught him—to care for others before himself—spoke emotionally about the fellow detainees he met. Many of them, he said, spoke little or no English and had no idea why they were being detained. He recalled the heartbreaking task of explaining to some that they were being deported, and witnessing their reactions.
“I told every person I met in there: If I get out and no one else does, then I’ve failed,” he said. “I want to help them in any way I can. If they must be deported, then it should be done the right way and under humane conditions.
His first stop after regaining freedom? A long-awaited meal of McDonald’s chicken nuggets and fries.
Not the Intended Target, But Detained Anyway: Teen Speaks Out After ICE Arrest
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, he was still taken into custody — a decision now drawing scrutiny.
“However, he was determined to be unlawfully present in the United States and subject to removal proceedings, so the officers proceeded with the arrest.”
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons echoed that sentiment earlier in the week: “Just like any local law enforcement agency, if our officers encounter someone with a warrant or who is in the country illegally, we act accordingly.”
But Gomes da Silva challenged the government’s depiction of his father, insisting that the man who raised him is anything but a threat. “Everything I am today is because of my dad,” he said after his release. “He’s a good person. He never did anything wrong.”
While detained, he managed to call his parents. He described hearing his father cry during the call, and said his family had become so fearful they were afraid to even step outside.
Attorney Robin Nice explained that Gomes da Silva originally came to the U.S. on a visitor visa when he was a child, and later received a student visa that has since expired. Like many undocumented young people, he was unaware of his legal status until the moment ICE placed him in custody.
Nice emphasized that her client is a deeply embedded member of his community. He participates in his high school’s marching band and is actively involved in a church music group — far from the profile of someone posing any kind of risk.
The immigration judge set a preliminary hearing date for the coming weeks, but Nice noted that the legal process could extend much further into the future.
Still, she remains hopeful: “We’re optimistic that Marcelo will have the opportunity to build his life here in the United States — where he belongs.”
A Shaken Community Rallies for Detained Student’s Return
The town of Milford, Massachusetts, has been left reeling after the unexpected arrest and detention of 18-year-old high school student Marcelo Gomes da Silva by immigration authorities.
In an emotional video released Wednesday, Marcelo’s father, João Paulo Gomes Pereira, pleaded for his son’s return: “I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It’s no family without him,” he said. “We love America. Please, bring my son back.”
The video showed the family gathered in Marcelo’s bedroom — a space now painfully quiet. His younger sister shared tender memories of movie nights and her brother’s cooking.
Marcelo’s sudden absence has deeply impacted his school community.
Recent graduate Amani Jack reflected on how Marcelo’s detention cast a shadow over what should have been a celebratory moment. If given the opportunity, she said she would urge the president to consider the human cost of immigration enforcement: “He said he would deport criminals. Marcelo is not a criminal. He’s a student. I just want him to step into our shoes and understand what we’re going through. We’re just trying to finish high school.”
Veronica Hernandez, a family advocate based in Medford who works with predominantly Hispanic communities, said Marcelo’s case has struck a nerve. She’s seen how ICE’s presence has intensified in recent years and believes the teen’s detention reinforces a broader fear — that immigration enforcement isn’t limited to those who’ve committed crimes.
“I think what shocked people was how ordinary the situation was,” Hernandez said. “A teenager driving himself and some friends to volleyball practice shouldn’t be a risk, but here we are.”
As the legal process unfolds, Marcelo’s community remains united — demanding his safe return and questioning how a young man so embedded in school and family life became the target of an immigration system many now see as indiscriminate.