Staff Report
The community is continuing to react to last Thursday’s arrest of a 13-year-old boy by Immigration and Customs (ICE) agents in Everett.
Following his arrest, the boy was taken to the ICE facility in Burlington and then transferred to the Northwestern Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Virginia, according to a published report in the Boston Globe.
Josiele Berto, mother of the boy who is a student at the Parlin School, had gone to the Everett Police Department where she was informed of ICE’s actions.
Mayor Carlo DeMaria issued the following statement on the situation regarding the boy and his family:
“As Mayor, I take my responsibility to share accurate information with residents very seriously, especially on issues that can unnecessarily upset residents if inaccurate or false information is circulating. This is true about a recent incident involving the arrest of a juvenile male in Everett.
Most importantly, I can assure all residents that Chief Strong and the members of the Everett Police Department (EPD) take any reported threats to the safety of our schools and our streets seriously and respond swiftly to protect students and residents. At the same time, the EPD ensures that the rights of all individuals are respected, as they have in this developing case. I am working to ensure that all state and federal agencies involved honor the rights of all individuals throughout the criminal justice process.
I stand behind the members of the Everett Police Department for their work to protect our community while honoring the rights of individuals. Residents deserve to have these facts and not be scared by uninformed and misleading statements that only serve to harm our community during an already stressful time.”
(Information from a Boston Globe story was used in the compilation of this report).