Hundreds of Islanders stood and marched in solidarity with Nycolas de Al Varenga Lima, the high school student who was arrested by immigration officials alongside his father, Rogerio da Silva Lima, in the fishing town the pair were detained from earlier this week.
The streets of Menemsha were overflowing with an estimated 275 supporters of the father and son on Saturday afternoon under gray, cloudy skies. Nycolas, a 15-year-old, and da Silva Lima were arrested by Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) officials on Monday after the Coast Guard boarded their boat, citing a lack of a vessel registration number on the side of the hull. The Coast Guard told The Times they boarded the boat to check whether other violations had taken place.
Since then, the Island community has anxiously awaited the return of the father and son to the Island, and many locals have organized to bring them home. The event on Saturday was the second rally in two days; Nycolas’s classmates at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) led a walkout from school on Friday afternoon.
It was announced by speakers at the rally that Nycolas is back home with family members after his detainment. The Times confirmed his release on Saturday. His father remains in detainment.
The rally, called “Bring Them Home,” was organized by MV LUCE, the Wampanoag Tribe of Chappaquiddick, the MV 4A Project, SURJ MV, Martha’s Vineyard Educators Association, Tomahawk Charters, MV Indivisible, and Sassafras Earth Education. Signs with that message were hung on cars and art galleries in the fishing village. Attendees were also urged to include an image of butterflies throughout their signage and during the day’s events, a symbol of free migration.
Members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) were the primary speakers, and expressed their solidarity with the Brazilian community on the Island. They said immigrants are a part of the Island community and deserve protection. To wide applause, Tribe members also reminded the attendees that “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
“When they belong to us, we are going to keep them safe,” Tobais J. Vanderhoop, the council secretary of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), told the crowd of hundreds. “They should not wonder if someone is going to come and snatch them up and take them away. That is unacceptable. We live in a nation of laws, and those laws are meant to protect us, not assault us.”
Islanders of all ages stood by the ocean waves, listened to speeches, held up signs in the salty air, and marched through Menemsha together. Portuguese translators followed each speech, echoing the speakers’ sentiments in Brazil’s primary language. Tears were shed; teachers spoke out about the immense stress federal immigration enforcement cause some of their students; and a blessing was read by Rev. Joanne Hus of the United Methodist Church of Martha’s Vineyard. Attendees chanted in unison: “No justice, no peace. We want ICE off our streets!”
Alexis Moreis, a Chappaquiddick Wampanoag council member, read a statement by the person who was on the boat with Nycolas and da Silva Lima when they were detained. “It is not easy to deal with seeing a 15-year-old child be treated like a criminal,” Moreis read.
“We are honest people, fishermen, enjoying our leisure time. For many people, the waters are a place that brings peace amid so many unexplainable problems,” the statement read.
The man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for safety reasons, told The Times earlier this week that he was out with the father and son on a recreational, early morning fishing trip. Within two hours of being on the water, they were stopped by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard told The Times that after checking da Silva Lima’s immigration status needed “additional verification,” and “co-ordinated with ICE to confirm the individuals’ legal status.” According to ICE, there is a removal order for da Silva Lima from 2023.
According to records available in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, Judge Julia E. Kobick issued an order on Friday afternoon that Nycolas be released from ICE custody. While he isn’t allowed to leave the state, Nycolas is staying with his brother at an unspecified location while the case continues. Meanwhile, da Silva Lima has been moved to Plymouth County Correctional Facility but isn’t allowed to be removed from the state by ICE without court approval.
Amelia Lynn Ritenour, the attorney from Maine-based Haven Immigration Law and representing the father and son, said they went to Burlington, Mass. to pick up Nycolas from ICE custody on Friday. Ritenour said since Nycolas is a minor and wasn’t allowed to be housed with unrelated adults, he and his father were held by ICE at an undisclosed hotel location rather than the Burlington facility. Ritenour also said Nycolas’ minor status was why ICE was planning to move the father and son to Texas, where the agency has a family detention center in Dilley.
Ritenour highlighted how rapidly the process took place since Monday when the father-son pair were taken to Woods Hole by the U.S. Coast Guard and handed over to ICE. And while Nycolas is with family now, Ritenour said the case is far from over.
Additionally, Ritenour said they don’t expect the case to move as rapidly with the habeas corpus petitions, and there’s uncertainty on what the next steps will be. A hearing is scheduled for da Silva Lima on Tuesday.
“At the end of the day, this is whether we’re a country that lets people get grabbed or if we’re a country that protects our due process rights,” Ritenour said.
At the rally on Saturday, David “Two Arrows” Vanderhoop spoke about the history of the Wampanoag on the Island of Noepe, which is now called Martha’s Vineyard. He urged the crowd to talk to their friends and family about the state of the world and stand up for those who are affected by acts of violence and cruelty.
“For the last 500 years, we’ve witnessed and gone through the genocide that happened on the mainland as well as right here. Before that, there were no borders. We were able to roam freely throughout Turtle Island,” Vanderhoop said. “This colonized system that was brought upon us has done a really good job of dividing and conquering us … It is no longer acceptable in my heart, in my mind and spirit, for us to stay silent.”
One attendee, Danubia Camargos Silva, said she was a part of the second graduating class at MVRHS that included Brazilian immigrants back in 1999. She was on her way to visit the Vineyard from Boston, where she now lives full-time, when she heard about the rally in Menemsha.
“It’s sad that this is happening, but I’m happy and proud to be here supporting my Brazilian community,” Camargos Silva said.
Other people in the crowd said they’ve been protesting for decades. Virginia Yorke said she was out in the 60s, 70s, and 80s rallying for human rights. “The fact that I’m out here again today is insane,” Yorke told The Times.