A Local Honors Student Caught in a Broken Immigration System

Last week, Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high school junior in Milford, Massachusetts, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while driving to volleyball practice.

Marcelo was not arrested for any crime. He was detained solely because of his immigration status. Marcelo arrived in the United States with his family in 2021 after fleeing violence and instability in his home country of Brazil. He was in the process of seeking legal status after overstaying his visa as a small child.

Instead of finding safety here, Marcelo was suddenly placed in ICE custody, where he spent six days in conditions no child should face.

Inhumane Conditions in ICE Detention

According to Marcelo and lawmakers who later toured the ICE facility, the conditions were stark and deeply troubling.

• No access to showers for six days.

• Sleeping on concrete floors with only a metallic blanket for warmth.

• Sharing a single bathroom with dozens of detainees.

• Minimal food — often just crackers.

• No contact with his family or legal advocates during much of his detention.

These details were corroborated by both Marcelo himself and several Massachusetts lawmakers, including Representatives Jake Auchincloss and Seth Moulton, who conducted a site visit to the ICE facility in Boston. 

“So for anyone, especially like Marcelo who’s expected to stay here, to sleep here with no beds, not what anyone else would call a blanket, sparse food, no windows even, it’s obviously completely inappropriate, I would say inhumane for long term detention. And that’s what Marcelo experienced.”,  Representative Seth Moulton explained.

“No one deserves to be down there,” said Marcelo himself. 

Unfortunately, Marcelo’s experience is not unique. A 2024 report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) documented similar conditions in ICE detention centers nationwide. The report highlighted consistent patterns of overcrowding, unsanitary facilities, inadequate medical care, and denial of basic human rights.

Turning to Faith in the Darkness

Inside the ICE detention facility, where he was denied a shower, a bed, and even a Bible, Marcelo turned to the faith he carried within him.

"I prayed every day I was down there," he said.

Denied access to a Bible, Marcelo began sharing his Christian witness. Marcelo prayed with the men around him. He encouraged them to hold on to hope. He shared his belief that they were seen and loved.

"I told every single inmate down there: 'When I’m out, if I’m the only one who was able to leave that place, I lost.’”

Our Prayer for Marcelo & Other Children in ICE Detention

Dear God, we lift up Marcelo and every child still trapped in detention — separated from family, stripped of comfort, and too often treated without dignity. We pray for their safety, their healing, and their hope. May Your presence surround them in the darkness. May they feel seen, loved, and never forgotten. Move our hearts to compassion and our communities to action, so that no child suffers in silence, and no neighbor is left behind. Amen.

Add Your Name to the Prayer