This story was originally published by our news partners at WBUR. We are republishing it in partnership with the New England News Collaborative.
Updated February 25, 2026 at 4:24 PM EST
Marcelo Gomes da Silva, the Massachusetts teen detained by immigration agents last year, had high hopes for his visit to Washington, D.C., this week to attend the State of the Union speech as a guest of U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton.
But the visit went sideways Tuesday night, as the Department of Homeland Security posted messages on social media platform X, targeting Gomes and other immigrant guests shortly before the address began.
The post noted that Moulton had invited Gomes, and called the teen “an illegal alien who has no right to be in our nation. We are committed to enforcing the law and fighting for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens like him.”
In an interview Wednesday, Moulton said, “Out of an abundance of caution we brought Marcelo back to my office” after the X post. A staff member escorted Gomes out of the chamber shortly after President Trump honored the U.S. men’s hockey team.
Speaking from the congressman’s office Wednesday, Gomes said he was disappointed he had to leave the House chamber, but it’s not going to stop him from standing up for his community.
“ I had to make a decision, which was either hide or fight and I decided to fight,” the teen said. “I don’t want to stay home and act like I’m scared because I believe that I’m a voice for a lot of immigrants and a lot of people that support me.”
The Boston Globe first reported on Gomes being led out of the speech in the wake of the government’s social posts.
Now 19 years old, Gomes da Silva entered the U.S. legally as a child with his family; his visa later expired and he has applied for asylum. He was detained on his way to volleyball practice last year while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were looking for his father. He was held for six days at a Burlington ICE office not meant for overnight stays, packed into a crowded room with other detainees, sleeping on a cement floor.
In a record-long State of the Union address, the president took sharp aim at immigrants multiple times. He got some of the longest applause of the night when he declared it was the “first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
Gomes told WBUR last week he was hoping to send a message to Trump “to open his eyes and give him an insight on how it feels to be an immigrant — show him a way to be more sympathetic towards us.”
He also said it was painful to be called an “illegal alien,” when he’s felt American since childhood.
On Wednesday, Gomes said he had no regrets about going to D.C.
“I’m really happy that I came,” he said. “It’s showing that it’s making a difference and we’re making an impact. And that’s what truly matters at the end of the day.”
His lawyer, Robin Nice, on Wednesday told WBUR she doesn’t see the DHS post as a threat per se, “But I see it as a political piece of rhetoric that is a designed to continue to suppress and intimidate and scare individuals like Marcelo, who have the courage to speak truth to power and to call people out on their unlawful action.”
In an Instagram post earlier Tuesday with Sen. Ed Markey, Gomes, dressed in a suit and tie, said, “I’m here to be the voice for a lot of immigrants that aren’t able to speak out. And I hope that I can make an impact in helping our immigrant community.”
Moulton is running to challenge Markey for his U.S. Senate seat.
Last week, Moulton said he believed Gomes was prepared for whatever Trump might say about immigrants, though he could not have known DHS would go after him by name.
“ I think after six days of detention, Marcelo knows all too well the cruelty of this president and his administration,” he said.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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