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Chelsea student, recent graduate detained by ICE, families say
Neither the 19-year-old and 20-year-old, both from Guatemala, have criminal records, their families said.
Two young men, a high schooler and a recent high school graduate from Chelsea, were detained by federal immigration agents last week. Neither have criminal records, their families said.
Geovani De La Cruz Catalán, 20, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last Wednesday, just days after his high school graduation from Chelsea High School, his stepmother, Mayra Balderas, told Boston.com.
Balderas is a Chelsea School Committee member.
“I gave him his diploma, so for me, it was the happiest day of my life,” she said.
Belizario Benito Vasquez, who is 19 and in high school, was arrested at a meeting he thought was part of his asylum application process, The Boston Globe reported. There, he was detained and transferred to a holding facility in Plymouth.
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“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested two Guatemalan nationals illegally present in the United States for immigration violations,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. “Both remain in ICE custody.”
De La Cruz, who is from Guatemala, and his family saw who they thought were ICE agents but weren’t worried because the young man has a work permit, Balderas said. She said the agents waited for De La Cruz to get in his car and drive five houses down, then pulled him over to arrest him.
“They only asked for his ID, he present his license, and they still take him,” Balderas said. “He’s innocent, and he had a work permit, and he had a license, and he was cooperating with them, and they didn’t care. They just took him.” She said he was first taken to Burlington, where ICE has a field office, and then to Plymouth.
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ICE said that De La Cruz “illegally entered” the U.S. in Arizona in 2022 and was released on an order of recognizance a week later. His removal proceedings are ongoing. Benito Vasquez also illegally entered the country in 2024, ICE said, and his immigration proceedings were terminated by a judge, meaning he was not immediately facing deportation. Now, Benito Vasquez is facing an order of expedited removal, ICE said.
Community members, including family members of both young men, held a vigil at Chelsea City Hall Saturday, according to the Globe.
“All the teachers were there from him. They were crying,” Balderas said. “They were saying that he was an example for others, that he was a good kid, that he was very respectful, that he was very polite, that they will not understand why they did that.”
Marta Vasquez, Benito Vasquez’s mother, said she and her two sons fled Guatemala to escape an abusive family situation and gang threats, the Globe reported.
“As a mother, when your children are torn from you, you’re left with your heart shattered,” she said in Spanish, according to the newspaper. “You don’t know if your children are doing okay in there, if they’ve eaten, if they can sleep.”
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Balderas said she has spoken to local leaders, including U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, about her stepson’s detention. The congresswoman is planning a town hall in Chelsea at 7 p.m. Monday.
“We have to bring the voices out there, the more people know, the better it is, because we cannot let keep happening what is happening,” Balderas said. “They’re not respecting our rights. They just step on us, and I don’t think that’s fair.”
When asked about the local arrests, Fidel Maltez, Chelsea’s city manager, shared a statement calling on the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate ICE’s action they believe “are jeopardizing public safety.”
“Our residents are impacted deeply by these actions,” the statement reads, signed by 14 mayors and city managers, reads. “Families are frightened to leave their homes to go to school, medical appointments, workplaces, or church. These actions are fomenting distrust between residents and local law enforcement officials, which further erodes public safety and destabilizes our communities. ”
Chelsea Public Schools did not return a request for comment.
This story has been updated to include a statement and information provided by ICE.
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