CHELMSFORD, Mass. — A Massachusetts high school student arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while heading to volleyball practice last weekend was released from federal custody Thursday after an immigration judge granted bond, following days of public outcry and legal action.
Eighteen-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a junior at Milford High School, was released after Immigration Judge Jenny Beverly approved a $2,000 bond during a hearing in Chelmsford. The Brazilian national, who has lived in the U.S. since 2012, was taken into custody during a traffic stop Saturday in what advocates and attorneys described as an unjustified arrest under President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement.
Gomes, who arrived in the U.S. on a student visa that has since lapsed, had been driving his father’s vehicle when he was stopped by ICE agents. According to Todd Lyons, acting director of the Boston ICE field office, the teenager was not the original subject of the agency’s investigation. Authorities were seeking his father, who has not been detained.
“He’s in this country illegally, and we’re not going to walk away from anybody,” Lyons told reporters Monday, defending the arrest.
The case quickly drew widespread attention in Massachusetts, triggering protests and support from classmates, immigration advocates, and legal organizations. Dozens of students gathered outside the immigration court Thursday, erupting in cheers after learning of the judge’s decision.
Miriam Conrad, an attorney representing Gomes, condemned the arrest in a statement as “pointless and cruel.”
In a brief video posted by GBH News, Gomes said he spent his days in federal detention praying. “It’s not a good place,” he said.
The arrest also prompted a federal legal challenge. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole issued an order barring ICE from transferring Gomes outside of Massachusetts without providing 48 hours’ notice. The lawsuit filed on his behalf asserts that while his visa had expired, Gomes intends to file for asylum and should not have been detained without due process.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not respond to requests for comment regarding the arrest or his release.
Gomes is now back with his family in Milford, a suburb of Boston, as his immigration case proceeds. His legal team is expected to move forward with asylum proceedings in the coming weeks.
