Statement on ICE detention of Milford student and the student-led walkout
Statement on ICE detention of Milford student and the student-led walkout
MTA condemns ICE’s cruel and inhumane actions
The following statement was issued by MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy:
The MTA condemns ICE’s cruel and inhumane actions in the strongest possible terms. We call for the immediate release of the Milford High School junior Marcelo Gomes Da Silva who was ripped from his community by ICE agents on his way to volleyball practice.
We call on leaders at every level to ensure our schools remain safe spaces of learning, belonging and safety for all students – not hunting grounds for ICE agents.
And we call on leaders at every level to ensure our schools remain safe spaces of learning, belonging and safety for all students – not hunting grounds for ICE agents.
The bedrock of public education in Massachusetts, enshrined in our state constitution – the oldest in the nation – is that every student is welcomed, regardless of wealth, language, religion or immigration status. When we come together, across the differences others try to use to divide us, from our hometowns to our languages and life experiences, we uphold that promise and make it real in every classroom and community.
But that promise is under attack. This afternoon, students in Milford courageously walked out of school in protest, demanding freedom and justice for their detained classmate.
And these actions are not isolated. From Waltham to Worcester, Springfield to our island communities, ICE agents are deploying new, cruel tactics – arrests of people showing up to court, traumatizing families and abandoning children on sidewalks, like the young boy left in Waltham after a raid.
Milford students are leading and their educators are following with admiration, moved by their commitment to do what is right and their solidarity with a classmate in need.
These are deliberate acts designed to intimidate and to further stoke fear and division across our communities. And we know who’s behind it: Donald Trump and his allies, who are reviving the same anti-immigrant playbook we’ve seen before, one that tells our students that they do not belong in their own schools or volleyball practice or in their own community. One that says America is a land of opportunity for only a few, but not for the students we teach, cheer for and support every day.
But today, Milford students are leading and their educators are following with admiration, moved by their commitment to do what is right and their solidarity with a classmate in need. Communities are rising. Just yesterday, 200 Milford teachers joined students in their march and rally, standing together in unity and taking their lead. We are inspired by the brave young people who walked out in protest.
We commend the members of the Milford Teachers Association for their swift action and for rightfully sounding the alarm about these new and dangerous tactics by ICE. We’re grateful to the many MTA locals that are stepping up in solidarity, from showing up at rallies to offering support to immigrant students and families in their own schools.