Top US immigration officials defend arrest of Massachusetts high school student
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Classmates of Marcelo Gomes da Silva join members of the community at a rally on June 1 in support of Mr da Silva in Milford, Massachusetts.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BOSTON - The head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 2 defended his agency’s decision to arrest a Massachusetts high school student on his way to volleyball practice, saying “he’s in this country illegally and we’re not going to walk away from anybody”.
Mr Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, made those comments as reporters asked him during an event in Boston to explain why the authorities on May 31 arrested 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who has been in the US since 2012.
The Brazilian’s arrest prompted a large protest on June 1 in the Boston suburb of Milford, where he lives, and a demand for information about the incident from Democratic Governor Maura Healey, who said she was “disturbed and outraged” by the situation.
Mr Lyons spoke about the arrest of Mr Gomes while announcing the results of an immigration enforcement surge in Massachusetts that resulted in nearly 1,500 people being taken into custody in May as part of Republican President Donald Trump’s hardline effort to ramp up mass deportations.
Mr Lyons and Ms Patricia Hyde, acting field director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston, said Mr Gomes was not the target of the investigation that led to his arrest, and that the authorities instead were seeking his father, who remains at large.
“So obviously, he isn’t the father of the year because he brought his son up here illegally as well,” Mr Lyons said.
The Milford High School student had been driving his father’s vehicle when he was arrested following a traffic stop, Mr Lyons said.
He added that when the authorities encounter someone in the country illegally, “we will take action on that”.
“We’re doing the job that ICE should have been doing all along,” Mr Lyons said. “We enforce all immigration laws.”
Ms Miriam Conrad, Mr Gomes’ lawyer, said in a statement: “The actions by ICE in arresting a teenager on his way to volleyball practice are outrageous.
“Locking up a high school junior with no criminal record does not make the community safer. It sows fear among immigrants.”
Hours after the press conference, a federal judge issued an order barring immigration authorities from transferring Mr Gomes out of Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice while the court considers a lawsuit arguing he was unlawfully detained.
The lawsuit said Mr Gomes entered the US on a student visa. While his student visa status has lapsed, the lawsuit said he is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum. REUTERS
