A mother is speaking out after her 13-year-old son was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a school-related incident.
The boy, a Brazilian national living in Everett, Massachusetts, was initially taken into custody by local police on October 9 and transferred later that day to the Winchester Juvenile Detention Center in Virginia, over 500 miles from his home, without prior notification to his mother or attorney, according to the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
“He should be home with me, in school, surrounded by people who love him. No parent should have to go through this. If ICE can take children like this, then no family is safe. I just want my son back — safe, home, and in my arms again,” Josiele, the boy’s mother, said in a statement shared with Newsweek.
Why It Matters
Federal immigration agencies are facing increased scrutiny over targeting migrants without legal status as the administration pushes forward with plans to carry out widespread deportations.
What To Know
On October 9, 2025, the 13-year-old boy was detained by ICE following an arrest by Everett, Massachusetts, police officers, according to a press release issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The department said that the boy was apprehended due to alleged involvement in gang-related activity and for allegedly possessing a firearm and a 5-7-inch knife.
According to the police report cited by DHS, the teenager allegedly displayed a handgun to another student and threatened to “shoot and kill” that student.
DHS said local law enforcement notified federal authorities of the arrest, and ICE subsequently took custody of the individual. On October 10, 2025, ICE transported him to the Northwest Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Winchester, Virginia.
Advocacy groups, including the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Matahari Women Workers’ Center, dispute DHS’s account. The organizations claim the 13-year-old was detained at a bus stop in Everett. Police brought him to the station, but by the time his mother arrived, ICE had already taken him.
The groups say that ICE initially claimed the boy possessed a firearm, a statement they say was later retracted. Within 15 minutes of being notified, the family’s immigration attorney filed a habeas corpus petition, but ICE transferred the child to a juvenile facility in Virginia before the filing could be processed. His mother was not informed of the transfer until after it had occurred.
DHS said the teenager has a history of prior encounters with law enforcement, citing 11 complaints filed by the Everett Police Department for incidents including shoplifting, underage alcohol consumption, breaking and entering, vandalism, theft, and fighting. Many of the alleged prior offenses appear to be misdemeanor-level incidents
The agency said on May 14, 2025, the Middlesex County Juvenile Court in Cambridge arraigned the teenager on charges of knowingly receiving stolen property, breaking and entering, and malicious destruction of property. While on pretrial probation in July, he was arraigned on additional charges of assault and battery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
DHS said that the teenager entered the United States illegally near San Luis, Arizona, on September 24, 2021, with a family unit and was subsequently released into the country under the Biden administration.
A bond hearing for the child is scheduled for Wednesday, according to advocacy groups working with the family. If granted, the boy could be returned to Massachusetts, where the family’s asylum case is still pending.
“His attorney/family have been able to reach him,” Daniela Perez, media relations director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, told Newsweek.
“If he is released, he will not be transferred back to Massachusetts, and we are coordinating to send him back home. His family has a pending asylum court hearing next week,” Perez said.
What People Are Saying
Josiele, the boy’s mother, told Newsweek in a statement: “My son is just a child. He’s only thirteen. I never thought something like this could happen to us. He was just going about his day, and now he’s been taken from me. Since that moment, I haven’t known if he’s safe or how he’s doing. We came to this country looking for protection, for a better life. Now I live every minute worried about my boy. His little brother asks about him every day, and I don’t know what to say. I barely have the strength to keep our lives together while he’s gone.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release: “Here are the facts: this individual and suspected gang member posed a public safety threat with an extensive rap sheet, including violent assault with a dangerous weapon, battery, breaking and entering, and destruction of property. According to the police report, he showed the handgun in his waistband to another student and said was planning on killing a fellow student.”
The National Domestic Workers Alliance said in a statement: “Separating children from their adults is cruel and unconscionable. For domestic workers like the 13-year-old’s mother, who are overwhelmingly immigrant women of color, the implications are devastating. Domestic workers are underpaid, undervalued, and this devaluation means they struggle to garner the support and resources they need to fight back against these attacks.”
What Happens Next
The boy remains in federal custody in Virginia. His attorney and family are seeking his release and return to Massachusetts ahead of his pending asylum hearing.
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