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As arrests and detainments ramp up across Massachusetts, so too has the ongoing national debate over immigration.

Students pray outside of Milford High School after walking out of school to protest the detention of Marcelo Gomes Da Silva in Milford on June 2, 2025. Marcelo Gomes Da Silva was detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)

In recent months, a surge in immigration enforcement actions have hit Massachusetts, sparking widespread concern and debate.

ICE touts arrests of almost 1,500, gives update on detained Milford student

Over the weekend, Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, an 18-year-old Milford High School junior, who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while on his way to volleyball practice.

Da Silva’s coach, Andrew Mainini, described his detainment as “shocking” and said it has had a profound impact on his classmates and the Milford High School community.

“Marcelo was their friend. I think, to many of them, he felt like family. It was intense,” Mainini told Boston.com on Sunday. “He is deeply ingrained in the school community, and he is someone that touches people’s lives positively on a daily basis.”

According to ICE, agents were initially seeking his father, but upon discovering Da Silva’s immigration status, they continued with his detention. This event prompted immediate community protests and drew criticism from Governor Maura Healey, who expressed outrage over the lack of transparency and communication from federal authorities.

“Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads up and no answers to their questions,” Healey wrote on X. “I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected.”

ICE had also said they arrested nearly 1,500 people in Massachusetts over the past month under “Operation Patriot.” Many of the individuals arrested had “significant criminality in the United States or abroad,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde said in a statement.

As arrests and detainments ramp up across Massachusetts, so too has the ongoing national debate over immigration enforcement and its impact on local communities.