A war of words escalated between Congressman Seth Moulton and federal immigration officials on Monday after ICE accused a Milford teen of lying about conditions in the Burlington facility where he was held.
"Gomes da Silva has peddled blatant lies regarding his treatment while in custody in Burlington," an ICE spokesperson said on Sunday.
The spokesperson added that Congressman Moulton and Congressman Auchincloss “toured the facility in Burlington immediately following his release and had no concerns.”
On Monday, Moulton fired back at that comment.
“Were you not at the press conference? I mean, come on, give me a [expletive] break,” he said. “That’s ridiculous. We came out both before and after the press conference and were very explicit about the concerns that we had about not just Marcelo’s treatment, but many others as well."
Marcelo Gomes Da Silva was released from ICE custody on June 5 after being detained on May 31 on his way to volleyball practice at Milford High School.
He described porous conditions at the Burlington facility where he was being held, including cramped sleeping areas, a “humiliating” bathroom situation, and inadequate access to food and medical care.
One of the affidavits shared by Gomes Da Silva’s lawyer, Robin Nice, says one detainee at the facility had only been offered one apple and a small amount of oatmeal and described conditions as “terrible” and “miserable.”
His lawyer shared a photo with Boston 25 News Sunday of one of the rooms where she said Marcelo was being held while in ICE custody.
ICE disputed those claims, saying that the 18-year-old received three meals a day, prompt off-site medical attention and even thanked an officer saying quote, “everyone was so nice.”
“I don’t know why they feel a need to attack him, obviously they’re being defensive because they realized they have some problems and the fundamental issue is that they’re keeping people in a place that’s only supposed to be for temporary processing,” Moulton retorted. “They have a job to do but they need to do it within the law, they need to do it honorably.”
Governor Healey also responded to ICE’s statement, saying the department should focus on those with criminal backgrounds and that public safety is a top priority.
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