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Family of detained Milford student pleads for his release in new video directed at ICE
"Please bring my son back," Marcelo Gomes da Silva's mother said in a direct address to ICE.
The family of Marcelo Gomes da Silva, the Milford teen detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice, released a video this week pleading with authorities to release him.
In the video, Gomes’ mother, father, and two young siblings can be seen addressing the camera directly from the teen’s bedroom.
“Please bring my son back, I miss my son so much,” Gomes’ mother, Daiane Pereira, said as her husband João Paulo Gomes Pereira visibly fought back tears and comforted her.
Behind the couple two children identified themselves as Miguel and Mariana, Gomes’ younger siblings. Each took turns addressing ICE officials directly.
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“I just really miss having him with me. I just want to give him a hug back. When he gets back, I will give him a really big hug. But, ICE, please get him out. Please,” Miguel said.
The video was shared with Boston.com Wednesday via Robin Nice, an attorney representing Gomes.
Watch the full video below:
Spokespeople for ICE did not return a request for comment about the video.
Gomes was detained last weekend when agents pulled over a vehicle full of Milford students on their way to volleyball practice. Officials said that they were looking for his father, and that Gomes was driving his father’s vehicle at the time. When they interviewed the students, agents found that Gomes was undocumented and detained him in a “collateral arrest.”
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The practice, where agents arrest immigrants in the country illegally even if they are not the target of an investigation, was banned under the Biden administration and revived by President Trump earlier this year.
Gomes has no criminal history. He was brought to the country as a 6-year-old, and family and friends describe him as a friendly, hard worker who was active in his church youth group. He is now being detained in an ICE facility in Burlington with around 25 other men.
A judge has ordered the government not to move Gomes outside Massachusetts without providing 48 hours advance notice. ICE officials told the judge Wednesday that they intend to move Gomes to a facility in Rhode Island, and that they have not been able to secure a bed for him in Massachusetts, according to court documents obtained by MassLive. ICE specified that the Massachusetts court would retain jurisdiction in Gomes’ case even after the transfer. Lawyers for Gomes are opposing the transfer.
A lawyer representing Gomes recently told The Boston Globe that the team hopes to convince a federal judge that Gomes should be released while his removal proceedings are pending in immigration court. A similar dynamic played out in the high-profile case of Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts student who was swarmed by ICE agents on a Somerville sidewalk earlier this year. She has since been freed and allowed to return to Massachusetts.
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Gomes’ detainment is sparking continuous outcry in Milford and beyond. Hundreds rallied in support of Gomes outside Milford Town Hall over the weekend, and the teen’s classmates staged a walkout on Monday. A large crowd packed a gymnasium at Milford High on Tuesday to watch Gomes’ teammates play their last match of the season. Players and fans wore “FREE MARCELO” shirts, and dedicated the game to him.
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Federal officials, for their part, blamed Gomes’ undocumented father for the situation. A spokesperson told Boston.com that the teen’s father, Gomes Pereira, was targeted because he “has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas,” and “remains a threat to the local community.”
Gomes Pereira was charged in 2023 for allegedly driving with a revoked license and not stopping for a stop sign. Both charges were later dropped, according to court records. Gomes Pereira has not faced charges related to speeding, records show.
Gov. Maura Healey is demanding answers from federal authorities and calling for Gomes to be released.
“They need to let him go. Marcelo belongs in school, not in a detention center,” she said.
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ICE officials and other federal authorities convened a press conference Monday to announce that a monthlong operation in Massachusetts resulted in close to 1,500 immigrants being detained. Officials spoke at length about the alleged murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals that were arrested. But a significant number of those detained appear to be “collateral arrests” like Gomes. According to figures released by ICE itself, just 790 of the 1,461 people arrested were charged with or convicted of crimes in the US or elsewhere.
“I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in this country illegally,” Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, told reporters when asked about Gomes.
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