BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts high school volleyball team is asking fans to show support for teammates who were detained by federal immigration authorities wearing white on Tuesday night.
“Our game on June 3rd will be played in honor of Marcelo. We will continue to pray and fight for our brothers,” the Milford High School boys volleyball team said in an Instagram post.
Marcelo Gomez da Silva, a junior born in Brazil, was taken into custody by immigrants and customs enforcement agents on Saturday on his way to volleyball practice. Acting ice director Todd Lyons said Monday that the agent was looking for a teenager father who owns the car driven by then-Gomez da Silva.
“Like local law enforcement officers, if we encounter someone with a warrant or someone who is illegally here, we’ll take action on that,” he said when reporters asked about his teenager.
When asked why Ice was detaining an 18-year-old with no criminal history, he said, “He didn’t say it was dangerous. He said he was illegal in this country and we wouldn’t leave anyone.”
Homeland Security spokesman Tricia McLaughlin said ice officials are targeting “known public safety threats,” and Gomez da Silva’s father “has a reckless driving habit at speeds above 100 mph through residential areas.”
“The Ice Officer had no intention of arresting Gomez da Silva, but the officers arrested him because he was found to be illegally in the US and subject to removal procedures,” she said in a statement.
Gomez da Silva originally came to the United States on a visitor visa in 2013, his lawyer Robin Nice said, and later was issued a student visa that expired. A hearing in the immigration court is scheduled for Thursday.
Meanwhile, a federal judge who considered a request for the release of Gomez da Silva while the immigration lawsuit was released to the government to respond to the government until June 16th, and ordered Gomez da Silva not to move out of Massachusetts without notice to the court without notice for 48 hours.
The arrest sparked outrage among Democratic officials, including Governor Maura Healy, who requested information about his location and whether he was given legitimate procedures. The Milford School superintendent said the district is not involved in immigration enforcement and supports all families, including immigrants.
Hundreds of students from the school held a strike Monday, holding signs that read, “Free Our Friend” and “America was built by immigrants.” Teachers will be taking part in Tuesday night’s volleyball game along with other community members supporting the release of Gomes Da Silva, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
“The Massachusetts Teachers Association is condemning Ice’s cruel and inhumane behavior on the most powerful possible terms,” the union said in a statement. “We are calling on leaders at all levels to ensure that schools do not hunt for ice agents, but ensure a safe space for learning, belonging and safe for all students.”
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Lamar reported from Concord, New Hampshire.
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