A Massachusetts high school volleyball player who ICE had detained on May 31 was granted bail by an immigration court.
On June 5 at Lowell Immigration Court, Judge Jenny Beverly issued a $2,000 bond for 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva, the lowest amount allowable, according to da Silva’s lawyer. He had been stopped by ICE agents while picking up teammates to drive to volleyball practice. Federal agents said they had been targeting his father, who they believe to be an undocumented immigrant from Brazil, according to the Milford Daily News.
Da Silva’s lawyer, Robin Nice, told the Milford Daily News that da Silva entered the United States with his family at the age of 7 while on a visitor visa. He was told while in detention that his student visa expired in 2015, according to the outlet.
Supporters of Marcelo Gomes da Silva of Milford outside the Lowell Immigration Court in Chelmsford, June 5, 2025.
Community members, including Mass. Gov. Maura Healey, have called for his release. There was a rally on June 1 in support of the teenager, as well as a school walkout and signs, posters and t-shirts at the Sweet 16 volleyball match. Healey issued a statement following the Jun 5 hearing:
“I’m relieved that Marcelo will be returning home to his parents, siblings, classmates and the Milford community,” she said in the written statement. “This has been such a traumatic time for this community, and I hope that they find some solace in knowing that the rule of law and due process still prevail. Marcelo never should have been arrested or detained, and it certainly did not make us safer. It’s not OK that students across the state are fearful of going to school or sports practice, and that parents have to question whether their children will come home at the end of the day. In Massachusetts, we are going to keep speaking out for what’s right and supporting one another in our communities.”
Da Silva spoke to the media about the jail conditions, telling the Daily News,
“You sleep on concrete floors. The bathroom — I have to use the bathroom in the open with like 35-year-old men. It’s humiliating.” He said that he helped translate deportation paperwork for other detainees. Da Silva also said he shared the crackers he was provided for lunch and dinner with the larger men in custody.
Read more here.
Supporters’ sign of Marcelo Gomes da Silva outside of the Lowell Immigration Court in Chelmsford, June 5, 2025.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Milford HS volleyball player released after being detained by ICE
