‘I lost 7 pounds’: Milford teen responds after ICE claims he was lying about detainment conditions

A picture of men sleeping on a bench or side by side on the floor covered only by a Mylar blanket was given to NEWS by Marcelo Gomes da Silva s attorney She says the picture depicts just what kind of conditions her client was held in at ICE s processing center in Burlington for six days I don t want to cry but I want to say that place its not good stated Gomes when he was distributed from ICE custody Its not good After the -year-old was issued and explained what it was like inside Burlington town leaders say they sat up and took notice of the facility that has operated in its town since It was never intended for overnight stay at all and we were reassured at that time by ICE no overnight detainees would be held there revealed Mike Espejo Burlington Select board Chair It was only supposed to be a processing faculty a inadequate hours each visit In a message an ICE spokesperson explained the office checks people in before they are moved to a longer term detention facility But there are occasions when a detainee may have to stay longer and says the Burlington field office is equipped to facilitate a longer-term stay when necessary Detainees in such a situation are given ample food regular access to phones showers and legal representation The first thing they can take a look at is my weight stated Marcelo I lost seven pounds Gomes continues to insist the situation inside is inhumane ICE calls the high schooler a liar Its surprising that they re saying I m lying I mean it makes sense they have to defend themselves but whatever they re saying is not true stated Gomes Burlington s Board of Selectman Chair Espejo says the building was not zoned as a jail Its next to the Burlington Mall and sits among several restaurants Something we never intended something we were assured would never happen but somehow seems to be happening stated Espejo