The arrest of 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva by federal immigration agents has ignited a wave of outrage in Milford, Massachusetts, after the high school student was detained on his way to volleyball practice. The incident, which occurred over the weekend, has drawn condemnation from state officials, prompted protests by hundreds of community members, and sparked a legal fight over the teenager’s due process rights.
Gomes da Silva, who was born in Brazil and has lived in the United States since the age of six, is currently in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to a court filing from his attorney, Gomes entered the U.S. in 2012 on a student visa that has since lapsed. He has no criminal history and “is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum,” his attorney wrote in a habeas corpus petition filed Sunday to seek his release.
ICE officials confirmed that Gomes was not the intended target of the arrest operation but was taken into custody as a “collateral arrest.” “When we go out into the community and we find others who are unlawfully here, we are going to arrest them,” said ICE Acting Field Director Patricia Hyde at a Monday press briefing. “We’ve been completely transparent with that. He’s 18 years old. He’s unlawfully in this country.”
The agency said the actual target was Gomes da Silva’s father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, who, according to the Department of Homeland Security, “has a habit of reckless driving” at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. Agents conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Marcelo at the time of the arrest. His father has not turned himself in, officials said.
The arrest cast a shadow over Milford High School’s commencement ceremony on Sunday. Principal Joshua Otlin, addressing students and families, did not shy away from the moment. “We cannot and will not pretend that all is well at Milford High School this morning,” he said. “It is not.”
Soon after the ceremony, students in their scarlet graduation gowns marched directly from the school to a rally at Milford Town Hall. The Boston Globe reported that demonstrators—ranging from young children to retired teachers—lined both sides of the street, joined by teachers, athletic staff, and advocates from surrounding towns.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey voiced her anger and demanded answers from federal officials. “I’m disturbed and outraged by reports that a Milford High School student was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice yesterday,” she said in a statement on Sunday. “Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads up and no answers to their questions. I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is, and how his due process is being protected.”
On Monday, a federal judge issued an order preventing ICE from removing Gomes da Silva from Massachusetts or transferring him out of the state’s judicial district without giving the court at least 48 hours’ notice and explanation. His precise location remains unclear, although his legal team believes he is being held at an ICE facility in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Back in Milford, the community continued to mobilize. On Monday morning, students staged a walkout in support of Gomes, holding handmade signs reading “Free Marcelo” as they gathered outside the school.
“We are all distraught by this news,” Milford Superintendent Kevin McIntyre said in a statement. “The Milford Public Schools play no part in immigration enforcement and support all of our students and families, including those who are immigrants to the United States. They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors. We will do everything in our power to support our students and families during these difficult times.”
Among the most emotional responses came from Gomes’ friends and family. His girlfriend, Julianys Rentas, told WCVB that Gomes plays drums at her church. “He’s a member of his community and he’s never done anything wrong,” she said while holding back tears.
State Rep. Becca Rausch, who attended Sunday’s rally, criticized the federal government’s actions. “Putting high school students in shackles does not make anyone safer,” she said. “The Trump administration continues to create fear in our communities, and it’s making us all less safe.”
U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss also condemned the arrest. “I don’t see how a kid en route to volleyball, who is an honors student, who’s a musician in the high school band—that kid is not a threat to law and order,” he told WCVB.
The arrest of Gomes da Silva comes amid a wider escalation in ICE enforcement actions. According to Hyde, ICE arrested 1,461 “alien offenders” in the region during May, 790 of whom had what the agency described as “significant criminality.” But when pressed about whether Gomes posed a danger to the community, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons stated, “I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in this country illegally.”
The arrest is one of several recent incidents that have drawn scrutiny. U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley has called for a press conference and roundtable to address what she called “an uptick in ICE activity across the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District and the Commonwealth, including a series of harrowing incidents in East Boston, Chelsea, Everett, and other predominantly immigrant communities.”
The backlash has also raised broader questions about the coordination—or lack thereof—between federal immigration authorities and local schools and officials. Community members and advocates are demanding clarity, legal protection for immigrant youth, and greater transparency in immigration enforcement procedures.
For now, Marcelo Gomes da Silva remains in custody, as his legal team pushes for his release and the Milford community continues to demand justice for a student many see as a beloved peer, neighbor, and friend.
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