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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Seth Moulton has said his guest at Tuesday’s State of the Union address had to leave after targeted harassment from the Department of Homeland Security.
“A decision was made out of an abundance of caution to pull … Marcelo Gomes da Silva, from the House gallery audience after the official government account for the Department of Homeland Security issued this tweet [below] at 8:24 PM ET targeting and harassing Marcelo,” Moulton said.
Gomes was escorted from the House gallery at approximately by a staff member from Congressman Moulton’s office. After leaving the State of the Union, he returned to Congressman Moulton’s office and watched the remainder of the speech from there.
According to WBUR, Gomes, 19, had “high hopes” for attending President Donald Trump’s address.
“But the visit went sideways Tuesday night, as the Department of Homeland Security posted messages on social media platform X, targeting Gomes and other immigrant guests shortly before the address began,” it said.
The Boston Globe said Gomes is originally from Brazil. He first arrived in Milford when he was six-years-old. Along with his parents, he entered the United States legally with a visa that later expired. After his detention, he applied for asylum.
He was detained last year for six days by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while operatives were looking for his father.
In response to the post made by DHS, Moulton said, “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 said, “Marcelo is safe and has continued to meet with elected officials, advocates, and other experts on Capitol Hill today to share his story.”
