ICE speaks out on arrest of 18-year-old Milford High School junior

MILFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now responding after an 18-year-old student was detained in Milford over the weekend.

On May 31, four Milford High School students said they were on their way to volleyball practice when unmarked cars pulled up behind them.

At least two of the students in the car were undocumented, ICE said.

18-year-old Marcelo Gomes was taken into custody. The other, a 17-year-old, was let go.

Milford police said the department did not know about the arrest.

On Monday, a spokesperson for ICE said agents were initially searching for Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, who is Marcelo’s father.

ICE Boston agents found the intended subject’s vehicle and conducted a vehicle stop. During the stop, Gomes-Pereira’s son, Marcelo Gomes, was arrested instead, ICE officials said.

According to ICE, 18-year-old Gomes is a Brazilian national living in the U.S. illegally and “subject to removal proceedings.”

“They made a traffic stop on that vehicle, which was the father’s vehicle, [Marcelo Gomes] was driving that vehicle, but like any local law enforcement officer, if you encounter someone that has a warrant, or like I said is here illegally, we will take action on that.” ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said. “We’re doing the job ICE should’ve been doing all along, and that we enforce all immigration laws.”

According to a lawyer, Gomes came to America from Brazil on a student visa back in 2012. However, his visa has since expired.

Gomes is currently being held in Burlington, Vermont.

The arrest sparked controversy over the weekend, with hundreds of people gathering outside Milford Town Hall on June 1, demanding the student’s release.

“A kid en route to volleyball, who is an honors student, a musician in the high school band, that kid is not a threat to law and order,” Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss said.

Milford high held its graduation ceremony on June 1, in which Gomes, who was a junior, was set to play with the school’s band.

Students also walked out on Monday to show their support.