In a situation stirring significant community concern, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria clarified that a 13-year-old boy recently arrested and subsequently apprehended by ICE was found with a knife, countering earlier allegations of a firearm's presence. The young teen had been arrested by Everett Police after a reported threat towards another student, with the mayor underscoring in an interview with The Boston Globe that the situation "could have been a tragedy" had the police not intervened.
Following the arrest by local authorities, DeMaria stated that the police department had no hand in alerting ICE, noting that the immigration enforcement agency "operates independently and has the authority to access certain law enforcement databases and take action on its own accord," a contentious event considering the community's composition with many undocumented residents. DeMaria has previously mentioned the city's immigrant-rich history, expressing hope during a news conference that Congress would soon lay down a pathway for immigration, as reported by CBS Boston.
The boy's fate moved across state lines as ICE transferred him to the Northwestern Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Virginia, according to the family's GoFundMe page aimed at covering legal fees where an interview with The Boston Globe revealed his uncomfortable sleeping conditions - concrete floors with aluminum sheets for blankets. Reacting to the boy's removal, Mayor DeMaria voiced that he believes, "I should have better-equipped juvenile facilities that allow minors to remain close to their families and legal counsel as they move through due process."
Contested statements from the Department of Homeland Security tried to cast the boy as not just bearing a dangerous weapon but possessing an extensive criminal rapport, including assault and property destruction, assertions proven unclear due to juvenile court records being non-public, as noted by CBS Boston. Meanwhile, Everett's top cop, Chief of Police Paul Strong confirmed at a press conference that, to his knowledge, this was the first instance of ICE detaining a juvenile from Everett police custody.
The community's response, as seen at a city council meeting, echoed the distress and urgency for the teen's return to Massachusetts. Councilor Guerline Alcy Jabouin proclaimed, "If you think taking a child, a 13-year-old child, away from their parents, away from their home, and sending them to another state to sleep on the floor, if you think this is OK, then we have a bigger problem in our community," pointing to a broader dialogue about immigration and community safety, as per a report by CBS Boston.
