Marcelo Gomes da Silva, the Milford, Massachusetts teenager who was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice was released from custody after he was granted bond Thursday afternoon. "I'm extremely happy," Gomes da Silva told reporters. 

Gomes da Silva was being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Burlington since his arrest six days ago. At a hearing Thursday, a judge ruled Gomes da Silva could be released on $2,000 bond. His attorney said that was paid for by donations from people in the community. 

"That place, it's not good. It's not good," Gomes da Silva said outside the ICE office. "Ever since I got here, they had me in handcuffs." 

Gomes da Silva's attorney, Robin Nice, said they filed for asylum on Thursday. Gomes da Silva can pursue a work/student visa and go to college while the case works its way through court. 

His next court appearance will likely be in three months to a year due to a backlog in immigration courts, according to Nice.  

Conditions inside ICE field office

Gomes da Silva said he had not showered in six days, had crackers for lunch and dinner, slept on a concrete floor with a metallic blanket and had to use the bathroom in front of 40 other men. 

"Nobody should be in here," Gomes da Silva said. "Most people in there are all workers. They all got caught going to work. These people have families." 

Gomes da Silva, an 18-year-old junior at Milford High School, is originally from Brazil. He was arrested on May 31 by ICE agents who were looking for his father. Gomes da Silva's attorney said he entered the country legally, but his student visa expired several years ago. 

He said he didn't know the visa needed to be renewed. "I was seven years old. I don't know nothing about that stuff. I don't understand how it works," Gomes da Silva said. 

He said he served as a translator for the other men in the room and cried when he informed them that their paperwork said they were being deported. "I just felt embarrassed for everybody there," Gomes da Silva said. 

Gomes da Silva said the people he was with don't deserve to be there. "They have kids to go home to and there is like genuine criminals out there that people aren't giving attention to," he said. 

The only thing he took from the facility was part of the metallic blanket he was given to sleep on the concrete floor. The piece is now tied around his wrist, a reminder of what he went through and who he met. 

"I told every single inmate down there when I am out, if I am the only one that was able to leave that place, I lost," Gomes da Silva said. "Because I want to do whatever I can to get them as much help as possible." 

Grateful for support, defends father

Students in Milford have held rallies and walkouts in support of Gomes da Silva. He said he was unaware because he didn't have a TV while he was in custody. 

"I'm very grateful for all the support, more than anything in this world," Gomes da Silva said. 

His father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, is still wanted by ICE. Gomes da Silva defended his dad, saying he is a good person. 

"I heard a lot of people talk bad about my dad but if you want to talk bad about my dad, you have to talk bad about me because he raised me," Gomes da Silva said. "And if I have so much support from everyone from my town, then he doesn't deserve any hate because I was raised from him. Like everything I got was from my dad." 

Reunited with family

A crowd of friends and family lined the street and his front yard to welcome Gomes da Silva back to Milford Thursday evening. They cheered as he stood up through the sunroof of the SUV as it pulled up to his home. 

"It feels good. I'm glad I'm finally home," Gomes da Silva said. "The only thing I wanted to do when I got back here was hug my parents."

After the tearful reunion, he went inside for a quick shower before speaking to the media again. 

"I can't wait to get back to school," Gomes da Silva said. "I got finals, I don't know what they are going to do about that." 

ICE was looking for his father when he was pulled over last weekend. He has been held up in his home fearing they might come for him. 

"We love America," said Marcelo's father Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira. "We love this country. This country is good country." 

"I don't want these weeks to continue on and my dad not being able to leave," Gomes da Silva said. "That's the worst thing in the world."  

Congressmen to inspect ICE field office

Rep. Seth Moulton and Rep. Jake Auchincloss stood beside Gomes da Silva as he spoke about the conditions inside the facility. They said they were going to go inside the ICE field office to inspect it. 

"We support securing the border, we support following the law, but this administration is breaking the law," Moulton said. "This administration is not keeping us safe by putting 18-year-old honors students in prison." 

Auchincloss, whose district includes Milford, said the Trump administration "has its public safety priorities backwards." 

"This is not what law and order looks like," said Auchincloss. "My constituents in Milford support secure borders, they support their local police department, they support deporting individuals who are a threat to public safety. They do not support harassing a high school student carpooling to his volleyball practice."  

• Milford News