All glory goes to God,” said the high school junior.
In spite of multiple erroneous reports from ICE that Gomes Da Silva had been transferred to a facility in Plymouth, he was held only at the Burlington ICE office.
She said she and Gomes Da Silva have been dating for almost two years.
Please bring my son back.” Gomes Da Silva addressed questions about his father at the press conference.
There’s no reason for this,” Gomes Da Silva said, shaking his head.
When Marcelo Gomes Da Silva was released from federal immigration detention, he stood in front of numerous reporters wearing shorts, Crocs, a brown t-shirt, and a “Free Marcelo” sticker.
The 18-year-old student was released from a U.S. S. After six terrifying days, the immigration and customs enforcement facility in Burlington, Massachusetts, was reached.
“I don’t want to cry, but I want to say that place is not good,” he said for the first time in public.
Before meeting U, Gomes Da Silva went to McDonald’s for fries and chicken nuggets. S. . Representatives. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss, whose district includes Milford, in the Burlington field office parking lot where reporters congregated.
“I’m incredibly joyful. The junior in high school declared, “All praise is due to God.”.
On Thursday, Gomes Da Silva was released by immigration judge Jenny Beverly.
Beverly decided to set a $2,000 bail sum. It is unlikely that ICE will detain him again while he is on bond, according to his lawyer, Robin Nice.
In an interview with GBH News, Nice stated, “We are very happy that he has been released.”. “We are grateful that the judge imposed the lowest possible bond, which is clearly appropriate in this case. However, it is clear that he shouldn’t have been detained in the first place, and the road ahead will be difficult. “”.
Gomes Da Silva stated during the press conference that federal agents pulled him over as he was pulling his car into a friend’s house prior to volleyball practice.
“I was stunned. I had no idea what was happening,” he recalled. He asked, “Do you know why you’re under arrest?'” I replied, “No, I don’t.”. “”.
He declared, “You are an immigrant because you are illegal. He gave no explanation for why he stopped me, and it seems like they’re attempting to apprehend my dad, but I’m here. “”.
Gomes Da Silva claimed that after he arrived in the United States, a friendly female ICE officer informed him that he had overstayed his visa. S. . in 2013, and by 2015, it had run out.
He said, “Ma’am, I was seven years old,” to the officer.
Gomes Da Silva was detained solely at the Burlington ICE office, despite numerous false reports from ICE that he had been moved to a facility in Plymouth. He claimed that because he speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese, he assisted others with translation while he was there.
With their documents in hand, they would ask, “Can you translate this for me? I don’t want to sign something and risk being deported.”.
He talked about sleeping on concrete floors and using the restroom in a big room with dozens of other men.
He remarked, “It’s embarrassing — I just felt embarrassed for everyone else.”.
Moulton, who represents the Burlington ICE office in his district, told the audience that he and Auchincloss would visit the facility to determine “what the hell is going on.”. “.”.
“This administration is breaking the law, but we support securing our borders and upholding the law,” he stated. The incarceration of 18-year-old honors students by this administration is not keeping us safe. “.”.
Auchincloss went on to say, “This is not how law and order looks.”.
Dozens of Milford High School students were among the more than 120 individuals who demonstrated in support of Gomes Da Silva outside the Chelmsford court earlier on Thursday.
Born in Brazil, Gomes Da Silva has been in the United States since he was five years old, according to a family lawyer. He doesn’t have any criminal history. The junior volleyball player from the high school was arrested over the weekend while driving to practice.
18-year-old Julianys Rentas had waited outside the Chelmsford courthouse with her parents. She claimed to have been dating Gomes Da Silva for nearly two years.
“Obviously, what they did was unfair. It wasn’t fair. He is not a drunkard. They shouldn’t have ever targeted him. It simply wasn’t appropriate. It’s not right how he’s being treated,” Rentas stated.
Gomes Da Silva’s volleyball teammates gathered as well, wearing white T-shirts with his jersey number hand-drawn on them.
According to Giovanni Guilarducci, who plays volleyball with him, they have “grown close” in recent years.
He is an excellent young man who merits all the help he can receive. What he has gone through, dot. A person can be truly transformed by it,” he said.
It is unlikely that Gomes Da Silva’s immigration case will be heard again for at least three months.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated on Wednesday that ICE agents had been searching for Gomes Da Silva’s father, who she claims has a history of exceeding 100 miles per hour, when he was arrested.
João Paulo Gomes-Pereira, the father, paid a $100 fine for failing to stop or yield on the road, and a judge in 2023 dropped his driving infraction. According to court documents, he does not currently face any other criminal charges.
Gomes-Pereira said, “I love my son, we need Marcelo back home,” in a video that the family made public yesterday. We adore the United States. Please return my son. “”.
When asked about his father during the press conference, Gomes Da Silva responded.
He remarked, “I heard a lot of people criticizing my dad, but if you want to criticize my dad, you have to criticize me because he reared me.”. I was raised by him, so if my town is so supportive of me, then he doesn’t deserve any hate. He is a decent man who has never done anything improper. “.”.
He expressed his hope that his father would not be arrested.
“At night, my dad would call me with his sister and brother, and he would be crying uncontrollably.”. Why? This isn’t justified,” Gomes Da Silva shook his head.
For the time being, he wants to see his girlfriend and family as well as return home to his mini poodle, whom he is excited to embrace.
