A case of ICE detainment took the most extreme level in Massachusetts after the authorities picked up a 13-year-old boy following his interaction with them. The officials are reported to have snatched him from police detention before his mother Josiele Berto could come and pick him up. Interestingly, his mother, along with the lawyer, waited for the boy in the police station for hours before being informed that the ICE agents had already picked him up. As Josiele remarked that her ‘world collapsed’ after hearing the news, the boy was meanwhile brought to a holding facility in Burlington on Thursday.
What’s more is that before the child’s mother could reach out to her son at the facility, by Friday morning, he was transferred to the Northwestern Regional Juvenile Detention Centre in Winchester, Virginia. The lawyer, Andrew Lattarulo, who has been working on this case, received an email from the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirming that the teenager was taken to ICE custody on Friday morning, at 9:30 AM. The fact that the boy has been withheld without any concrete proof or reason has stirred quite a bit of chaos as the family waits for his return.
Meanwhile, Judge Richard G. Stearns from the Boston Federal Court has already ordered the release of the boy by Tuesday, unless the ICE and the Homeland Security can provide valid proof and explain the grounds on which he was still receiving continued detention. A response from their end is expected to be given by October 14, failing which the boy must be given a bond hearing no later than October 17, 2025.
Additionally, the judge also highlighted the minor age of the boy, as he’s still not an adult. Stearns added that he has never done a bond for a person of such a young age ever. The child is said to be a 7th grader studying at the Albert N. Parlin School in Everett. As per a statement by his mother, their family legally hails from Brazil but has a pending asylum case to their name. His arrest news now highlights that he happens to be the youngest one ever arrested by the ICE. The Department of Homeland Security Assistant of Public Affairs, later, through their spokesperson, issued a statement amid the growing criticism on the matter.
They mentioned “ICE does NOT target juveniles or children. At the time of the detainment, ICE did not know the individual’s age.” Meanwhile, the child was later released on a $2,000 bond, and upon his exit, he immediately opened up about the horrifying and humiliating conditions where he was made to put up.
The boy, later identified as Gomes de Silva, revealed that it was only his faith that helped him survive the days he spent inside the facility. He revealed being made to sleep on cold cement floors, and around his wrist had a bracelet made out of the thin sheet of metallic blanket that he was given to use. He even shared the same place with adult detainers. Reflecting on what he experienced, Gomes said, “I’ll always remember this place. I’ll always remember how it was.”
