June 3 (UPI) — A Massachusetts high school student was detained over the weekend in an immigration law enforcement operation targeting his father, the Trump administration said Tuesday as it responded to anger over the arrest of 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva.
Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Brazilian native, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Saturday while en route to volleyball practice.
His arrest prompted scores of students at his Milford High School to walk out of class in protest on Monday, and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey demanded answers from the Trump administration, which she accuses of creating “fear in our communities” through its immigration crackdown.
“I’m disturbed and outraged by reports that a Milford High School student was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice yesterday,” Healey said in a statement.
“I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected.”
In response, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that da Silva was arrested by ICE agents “engaged in a targeted immigration enforcement operation of a known public safety threat and illegal alien, Joao Paulo Gomes Pereira,” who is the teenager’s father.
DHS said justification for arresting Gomes Pereira was that local authorities informed ICE that he is in the country undocumented and “has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas.”
ICE agents identified Gomes Pereira’s vehicle and arrested both the father and son during a traffic stop.
“While ICE officers never intended to apprehend Gomes-DaSilva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest,” DHS said in the statement.
The student is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, it said.
The pair were seemingly arrested during a one-month law enforcement crackdown in the state on undocumented migrants, the results of which were announced Monday during a press conference held by federal officials who said they detained 1,461 migrants.
Concerning Gomes da Silva’s detainment, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley for Massachusetts blamed the state over its alleged sanctuary policies, stating that when local law enforcement declines to work with federal immigration authorities, ICE is forced to go into their streets, and if they find undocumented individuals, they will be arrested.
“He is 18 years old. He’s unlawfully in this country. And, unfortunately, we had to go to Milford to look for someone else and we came across him and he was arrested,” she said, then shrugged.
“That’s where that stands.”
Healey has repeatedly said Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state.
In response to a reporter’s question about what danger the student posed, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons retorted by asking whether they would be asking the same question if it was state police and not ICE agents that performed the arrest.
“I didn’t say he was dangerous, I said he’s in this country illegally. We’re not going to walk away from anybody,” he said.
“There are 18-year-olds arrested, but we are focused on this one. And I will say, his dad hasn’t turned himself in yet and his dad knowns he’s the target of it.”
In a writ of habeas corpus filed Sunday by attorney Miriam Conrad, who is representing Gomes da Silva, she said her client entered the U.S. through a student visa in 2021, which has lapsed but the student is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum.
“Petitioner has no criminal history,” the court document states.
“Petitioner is currently being detained by federal agents without cause and in violation of his constitutional rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
The officials said during the press conference that nearly 1,500 undocumented migrants were detained in Operation Patriot, which was launched amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and controversial attempt at mass deportations.
The Trump administration deportations have been met with legal challenges as well as accusations of deporting U.S. citizens, including children.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., chastised the Trump administration over its detainment of Gomes da Silva.
“This isn’t about public safety. This is about cruelty and power and fear engendered by the Trump administration,” he said in a video statement published to X.
“To the Milford community, I’m with you as we tell the Trump administration to keep its hands off your kids.”
