ICE Detains Honor Roll Student: Judge Blocks Removal

Milford High School student Marcelo Gomes was detained by ICE agents on Saturday morning while driving his father’s car. ICE stated that they were looking for Gomes’ father, not him. Gomes’ family said he is being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Burlington, MA. A federal judge has temporarily blocked officials from taking Gomes out of the state until a ruling tomorrow. "The target of the operation was Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, an illegally present Brazilian alien," ICE said in a statement Monday afternoon. The news has left the Milford community feeling "helpless," according to Gomes’ volleyball coach. Gomes came to the United States from Brazil with a student visa in 2012, and his family has lived in Milford since. His student visa status has lapsed, but he is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum. The detention comes amid a recent surge in immigration enforcement in Massachusetts, resulting in nearly 1,500 people being taken into custody last month as part of the Trump administration’s effort to ramp up deportations. Family members and community members are still looking for answers as to why Gomes was taken in the first place, especially since he is an honor roll student and is described by his coach as an "exceptional citizen" who "makes other people smile."