A Massachusetts community has been left shocked and angry after a high schooler was arrested by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers while on his way to volleyball practice.
The unidentified 18-year-old, described by his coach as an ‘exceptional citizen,’ was detained by officers Saturday morning after being pulled over in a car with his teammates.
The Milford High School junior never made it to practice as his coach Andrew Mainini said he received a text around 8.30am from a student who witnessed the athlete get arrested.
Mainini said two other students who were inside the vehicle at the time were released by ICE officers because they were minors. The details surrounding his arrest remain unclear.
‘I was sitting there thinking, “This can’t be happening”,’ Manini told NBC Boston.
‘I’m a person who watches a decent amount of news and it’s one thing to see things happening in the world. It’s another to have them directly impact the people you work with and care for on a daily basis.’
The teen’s coach isn’t the only one who’s been left confused and frustrated by his sudden arrest, as Governor Maura Healey expressed the same emotions, and even called out President Donald Trump about it.
‘I’m demanding immediate answers from ICE about the arrest of a Milford High School student yesterday, where he is and how his due process is being protected,’ she posted on X. ‘The Trump Administration continues to create fear in our communities, and it’s making us all less safe.’
An unidentified 18-year-old Milford High School (pictured) student was arrested by ICE agents Saturday morning while on his way to volleyball practice
The student’s coach Andrew Mainini (pictured) said he got a text from another teen early that morning about the sudden arrest
This is not the first time ICE officers have swooped into the town as Superintendent Kevin McIntrye said arrests have been ramping up in their area.
‘An 18 year old Milford High School student was detained by ICE agents off campus this weekend. We have also had a number of parents who have been detained by ICE in recent weeks,’ he said. ‘We are all distraught by this news.’
The teen’s friend, who wished to remain anonymous, described the moment he watched him get arrested when three undercover vehicles stopped them that morning.
‘An ICE officer had stepped out of his vehicle, walked over to us, and knocked on the window,’ he told WRPI.
‘And they asked him what his documentation was. I didn’t see him run a red light or do anything illegal, we were just on our way.’
Now, his friend is fearful of what this could mean for him, adding: ‘I’ve known this to be a system that kicks out undocumented people for committing crimes, and now it’s a system that will just kick you out based on your status.’
Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino confirmed the arrest, but said his department was not involved in the operation.
Meanwhile, McIntyre has promised to stand by the community and ‘do everything in our power to support our students and families during these difficult times.’
‘They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends and neighbors,’ he continued.
Governor Maura Healey (pictured in 2024) expressed her anger over the teen’s arrest and even called out President Donald Trump about it
A peaceful protest has been arranged for Sunday at Town Hall, NBC Boston reported.
DailyMail.com contacted ICE for comment but did not immediately hear back.
This is just the latest in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal migrants in the US.
In early May, a college student was arrested and taken to an ICE detention center after she made an improper turn at a red light in Georgia.
Ximena Arias-Cristobal has lived in the state since she was four, but due to local law enforcement’s strict coordination with ICE, she was quickly transported to the Stewart Detention Center after making the illegal turn.
The 19-year-old student was chained by her wrists and ankles as she was taken into the facility.
After being pulled over, Arias-Cristobal told the police officer she had an international license – but not with her.
Online records show that she was arrested for driving without a valid license and failure to obey traffic control devices.
A couple weeks after her arrest, the Mexican-born student was granted a $1,500 bond during an immigration hearing – the lowest amount permitted by law, ABC News reported.
Two weeks before the teen’s arrest, her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, was detained by ICE agents after being stopped by police for speeding and driving without a license. He was released from custody on bond. (pictured: Arias-Cristobal and her father)
The government did not wish to appeal,’ Dustin Baxter, Arias-Cristobal’s attorney, said in a statement, as reported by the outlet.
‘The family will pay the bond ASAP and Ximena will be home with her family tomorrow afternoon at the latest,’ he added.
However, the Department of Homeland Security has stated that it remains committed to ordering the teenager to ‘self-deport’ back to Mexico, citing the absence of any pending applications with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
‘Both father and daughter were in this country illegally and they have to face the consequences,’ DHS said in a statement to X.
Two weeks before the teen’s arrest, her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, was detained by ICE agents after being stopped by police for speeding and driving without a license. He was released from custody on bond.
