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The boy reportedly apologized and asked the court to forgive him during last week’s bond hearing.
A 13-year-old Everett boy detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this month following a brush with local police must remain in federal custody while his case is pending, a judge has reportedly ruled.
The seventh grader appeared for a bond hearing last Wednesday via Zoom from Virginia’s Northwest Regional Juvenile Detention Center, where he’s been held since his arrest. According to The Boston Globe, the boy looked disheveled and downcast during the hearing and later apologized and asked the court to forgive him.
Federal officials purportedly argued the teen is dangerous and a flight risk, according to the Globe, which spoke with the boy’s attorney. His request for release was ultimately denied.
“I don’t think he’s good. He’s as good as he can be,” attorney Andrew Lattarulo told the Globe. “When I talked to him, I could tell he’s trying to find strength in his voice, but you still hear the 13-year-old child.”
A Brazilian national, the boy was detained by ICE agents at the Everett police station after he was arrested Oct. 9 in connection with a “credible tip” about a violent threat against another student, the city’s mayor previously told reporters. Mayor Carlo DeMaria said the teen had a long knife on him when apprehended, but no gun — contradicting an earlier claim from the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS later alleged the boy has ties to a Brazilian criminal ring known as “gang 33” and “posed a public safety threat with an extensive rap sheet.” DeMaria likewise acknowledged the teen “unfortunately has a criminal history, a criminal past” and is “well known” to local law enforcement.
DeMaria has denied claims the city summoned ICE to the police station following the boy’s arrest, though Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights has called for an independent state probe into the Everett Police Department’s role in the matter. LCR also filed a public records request for documents delving into potential communication between ICE and local police.
“Due process is not optional — it’s the cornerstone of fairness,” Executive Director Iván Espinoza-Madrigal said in a statement. “Irrespective of the allegations, the Commonwealth must uphold the rule of law and ensure that no juvenile is denied their rights. No child should ever face law enforcement without the meaningful involvement of their parents or guardians.”
According to a copy of his habeas corpus petition, the teen unlawfully entered the U.S. with his family in 2021. Lattarulo told the Globe self-deporting from the U.S. is a possibility for the boy and his family, who have a pending asylum case.
The teen has another hearing scheduled for Nov. 5.
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