‘None of this is fair’, says Brazilian who was arrested by ICE

Following the repercussions of his case, Marcelo Gomes da Silva (c.) was invited by Democratic congressman Seth Moulton (d.) to observe President Donald Trump’s annual speech: “I have a responsibility to defend immigrants,” he told DW. DW – Rodrique Ngowi/AP When Brazilian Marcelo Gomes da Silva sat in the plenary of the United States Congress, last Tuesday night (24), as a guest to follow President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, his presence had a meaning that goes beyond political protocol. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Less than a year ago, he spent six days detained by agents from the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE), in Massachusetts, in an episode that placed him at the center of the debate on immigration, inspection and the rights of foreigners in the country. Marcelo was approached at the end of May 2025, while driving his father’s car in the city of Milford, on his way to volleyball training with school friends. The action was part of an operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) aimed at arresting the father, João Paulo Gomes Pereira, described by authorities as an irregular immigrant. When officers approached the vehicle, they found only the son. According to the American government, Marcelo was then detained for “illegal presence” in the country, after agents discovered that his student visa had expired. The young man claims that he was not aware of the irregularity at the time. With no criminal record, he was taken to the ICE office in Burlington, where he remained for six days. The defense filed a habeas corpus request with the Federal Court of Massachusetts, arguing that Marcelo does not pose a risk to the community. The court ordered his release upon payment of a bond of US$2,000 (approximately R$10,000) and established that he could not be deported or transferred out of the state without at least 48 hours’ notice. The case occurred amid the tightening of immigration policies in the United States during the Donald Trump administration, a period marked by an expansion of ICE operations, including in situations of administrative irregularity. Commenting on the arrest, ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, classified the case as a “collateral detention” and publicly criticized the student’s father. Lyons mentioned the episode when announcing the results of a migration offensive in Massachusetts that led to the arrest of around 1,500 people in May 2025 alone. Trump says ‘USA is back’ and criticizes the Biden government “None of this is fair” Marcelo says that, at the time of his arrest, he did not receive clear explanations about what was happening. “I never understood what was happening. I was very confused,” he says. According to him, the experience exposed the vulnerability of many immigrants who live, study and work in the United States, even without a criminal history. “None of this is fair. The way they stopped me, put me in handcuffs… none of this was fair. They put me in a state of great fear and are putting many people in a state of great fear. I like that many communities in America are standing up to speak out against them. I agree. They are doing the wrong job and taking immigrants who help to improve America instead of immigrants who do the wrong things (drug traffickers and bad people)”, he states. Conditions in the detention center also marked the period in custody. Marcelo reports that the space housed around 30 to 40 men, without beds or showers. “We slept on the concrete floor. There was only a small bathroom, in the corner”, with almost no privacy, he says. Among the detainees were Brazilians, Latin Americans, Russians and Turks, and communication took place in Portuguese, Spanish and basic English. According to him, the majority had been detained on their way to work or at their place of employment. According to Marcelo, “they (ICE) are doing what they want nowadays”. Massive protests marked the month of January in Minneapolis (Minnesota) and across the country after the agency’s actions resulted in the deaths of citizens, putting pressure on Donald Trump’s government. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/DW Detention becomes a political issue The student’s arrest generated an immediate reaction in Milford, where Marcelo has lived for more than a decade. Students organized protests at the school, and residents gathered in front of city hall calling for his release. Marcelo was supposed to play with the school band at the graduation ceremony the weekend after his arrest. The case also mobilized state authorities. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey demanded explanations from the federal government and publicly criticized ICE’s actions. In a message published on social media on June 3 last year, Healey stated that Marcelo has lived in Milford since he was little and highlighted that he should be at school, “not in a detention center”. For the governor, the climate of fear generated by migration operations of this type affects entire communities. After Marcelo was released by the courts in June, Healey officially received the student, highlighting the case as an example of the tensions between federal immigration policies and state authorities. Repercussions in Congress The repercussions also reached the Senate. At the time of his arrest, Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey released a video demanding the young man’s release. “Marcelo Gomes should have attended Milford High’s graduation, not be in an ICE detention center. That’s not public safety. That’s cruelty. That’s instilling fear in our communities,” he said. The political mobilization around the case ended up culminating in the invitation to the State of the Union speech. Democratic congressman Seth Moulton, who is campaigning for a seat in the Senate, stated that he decided to take Marcelo as a guest because he considered his story representative of the failures of the American immigration system. “I invited Marcelo because his story shows what is broken in our immigration system today,” he said. For Moulton, the support received by the student after his arrest reflects recognition of his integration into the community. “He is exactly the kind of young man the United States should invest in, not arrest.” Marcelo states that, initially, he did not understand the scope of the invitation. “At first I didn’t even really know what the event was,” he says. Only later, with explanations about Washington and the presence of the country’s main authorities, did he realize the symbolic weight of participation. “I have a purpose, something to pursue, I have a responsibility to defend immigrants, to help them, and I’m very happy about that”, he says. On a personal level, the family tries to maintain normality, but the fear remains. Marcelo remains in legal proceedings and accompanied by a lawyer, who informed that he should not be detained again by ICE. Still, uncertainty persists. “They’re doing whatever they want these days,” he says. Marcelo arrived in the United States at the age of six and never returned to Brazil. He claims to recognize himself culturally as an American, without giving up his Brazilian roots. “I’m Brazilian because it’s in my blood, but I’m also very American. I learned a lot of things here. I’ll never lose my culture,” he says.

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