Milford students relieved classmate was released from ICE custody, worried about his future
Many people in the town of Milford, Massachusetts are overjoyed that 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva is out of ICE custody, but they now worry about what's next.
"How can a community after going through such a heartbreak go back to fully normal," a classmate said.
Milford High School students are still reflecting on what happened to their classmate, who made a triumphant return home Thursday after six days in ICE detention.
"Everyone is just really happy that he's back," said classmate Keira Murphy. "It's great to see that he's come home, we were all really worried about him."
And they still worry for the teen who described horrendous conditions in the Burlington ICE facility he shared with several older men. It was where he was released after posting $2,000 bail helped by community donations.
"Nobody should be in here," Gomes da Silva said Thursday outside of the ICE facility. "Most people in there are all workers. They all got caught going to work. These people have families."
Wants to help others being detained
And while they shared only crackers together, it was Marcelo who translated papers for other detainees, deportation papers and a family friend says he wants to make sure their stories are told as much as his.
"He really wants to make sure that he does right by those people that he was detained with, and he says over and over again, I need people to understand what those people were facing," said family friend Colleen Greco.
A day after cheers and hugs outside his Milford home Thursday, a different scene of a family remaining out of sight in the quiet, still uncertain what the future will hold.
One friend who expressed concern did not want to be identified. "Especially for his dad, since they have been talking about him a lot. I don't want nothing to happen to his family," Marcelo's friend said.
ICE claimed it was the father they were after when they took Marcelo into custody last Saturday as he headed to volleyball practice.
He tells WBZ-TV it has been an overwhelming experience, but friends say his strength is remarkable. "He is still traumatized, right, but he's not angry he is just full of gratitude for all the support all the outreach, all the love," Greco said.
Marcelo will finish up the school year, including final exams, at his home.
