Illegal immigrant ‘poster boy’ named in police reports involving sexual assault and juveniles

by Deported.news Staff | March 11, 2026

An illegal immigrant guest invited to the State of the Union is mentioned in an alleged sexual assault case.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva was a guest of U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts, at the SOTU.

The Boston Herald first broke the story, reporting that Gomes da Silva is referenced in Milford police reports involving “sexual assault and juveniles.”

The Milford Police Department has denied the newspaper’s request to release the public records, but the Boston Herald has appealed that decision.

Moulton brought Gomes da Silva to the address to defy President Donald Trump and highlight what Democrats view as errors in immigration enforcement.

But the congressman also could be in trouble for hiding the illegal immigrant in his congressional office, which is a violation of federal law.

Moulton tried to cast the teenager as a shining example of innocent immigrants being victimized by the Trump administration. He praised da Silva on MS-NOW and his own social media as “a patriot” and incorrectly called him a “great American.”

But Moulton reportedly hid him in his office once the U.S. Department of Homeland Security started posting about his presence during the address.

“Gomes DaSilva is an illegal alien who has no right to be in our nation. We are committed to enforcing the law and fighting for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens like him,” said DHS in a post on X about Moulton’s guest.

The Boston Herald filed a public records request through the Milford Police Department and the Secretary of State’s Office for reports dated June 30, 2021, and Sept. 15, 2021.

According to the Herald, Milford Deputy Chief John Sanchioni denied both of those requests because the reports involve juveniles.

He did not elaborate other than to say: “The records you are requesting are not public records in accordance with M.G.L. c. 4 s. 7 cl. 26 (A). Report 21-23101-OF involves a sexual assault and juveniles. Report 21-16254-OF involves juveniles.”

The Herald reported that Gomes da Silva was identified as a “person of interest” in the records it sought. Other outlets, including Fox News Digital and the Maine Wire, have picked up on the story.

Gomes da Silva, 19, has refuted the claims, insisting he is not involved and knew nothing about the reports until contacted by the media. His lawyer responded to the Herald’s request for comment, calling the article “irresponsible and outrageous.”

“I want to be clear: I have never assaulted anyone. I have never been contacted by the police about any accusations of assault,” Gomes da Silva told the Herald through his lawyer. “I have never seen these alleged reports. My attorney has since requested these alleged reports and was denied.”

During the State of the Union, Moulton’s Press Office shared the DHS post on X, adding: “Marcelo has been in the U.S. since he was 6 years old. Zero criminal record. You’re not making anyone safer by targeting him. You’re just proving how far you’ll go to terrorize young people trying to build a future in this country.”

Moulton’s office told the Herald that their vetting of Gomes da Silva never turned up a criminal history.

“According to our review, Marcelo has never been charged with a crime,” a Moulton spokesman told the Herald.

Gomes da Silva has become Massachusetts’ “poster boy” for the Democrats opposition to immigration enforcement.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Gomes da Silva in May 2025, after a traffic stop revealed his student visa had expired.

Agents were reportedly looking for his father at the time, but Gomes da Silva was driving his father’s car. His father is an illegal immigrant and habitual traffic offender with several speeding violations.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted about his father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, and what led to Gomes da Silva’s arrest on X:

“Local authorities notified ICE that this illegal alien has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas endangering Massachusetts residents,” DHS wrote. “While ICE officers never intended to apprehend, Gomes-DaSilva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest.”

Moulton announced Gomes da Silva would be his guest at the State of the Union address earlier in the month. Reports later surfaced that he escorted Gomes da Silva out of the House gallery and had him wait in his office during the speech.

The decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” due to DHS “targeting and harassing Marcelo,” a spokesperson for Congressman Moulton told CBS News.

Besides his invitation to the State of the Union, Gomes da Silva received a wave of sympathetic media coverage following his ICE detainment. He was invited by Gov. Maura Healey to tour her office at the State House.

Gomes da Silva recently testified on Beacon Hill in support of proposed legislation to ban ICE agents from making civil immigration arrests in state courthouses and on other state-owned property. The bill would also ban sheriff’s departments from entering into any new 287(g) agreements in Massachusetts.

Both Moulton and Gomes da Silva have claimed he was treated inhumanely during his detainment, saying he was “denied basic necessities, including access to a shower and a bed to sleep in.”

ICE Boston maintains their allegations are untrue. Moulton made an oversight visit of the ICE Burlington facility in December and one earlier in 2025, condemning the condition of the facility and the treatment of detainees.

His comments have sparked a public feud with Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, who called Moulton’s words “disgusting” and “pure political theater.”

Moulton’s latest antics are reminiscent of other staged stunts by Democrats over the last year. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, fought to free “Maryland dad” and MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego-Garcia in 2025 and return him to the United States despite his documented run-ins with police, gang ties and allegations of domestic abuse.

In an op-ed for Hot Air, author Ed Morrissey noted that Herald reporter Tim Dunn likely got tipped by law enforcement or one of the victims involved in these assaults.

Based on Gomes da Silva’s current age and the dates of the reports, he would have been 14 or 15 at the time of these two cases.

“Did Moulton’s office simply skip over the vetting process when inviting this ‘special guest’ to the SOTU, and then sheltering him from DHS?” Morrissey writes. “It’s possible they did a cursory search that may have missed juvenile criminal cases. … Normally, such juvenile cases are sealed, but the records are nonetheless available for those who search diligently or have specific knowledge of the cases.”

The Maine Wire noted that Moulton is “facing a tough battle for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Ed Markey, and the blunder is not going to make his path any easier.”

The Herald doesn’t plan to let it go and has filed an appeal with both the Milford Juvenile Court and the Milford Police Department. The newspaper maintains “Moulton has turned the teen’s story into a public debate on ICE enforcement” and details on his background should be released.

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