Father, Son Taken Into ICE Custody As They Fish Off Vineyard: Report

MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA — There are fresh concerns about federal immigration enforcement on the Cape and Islands, after a Brazilian man and his teenage son were detained Monday while fishing off Martha’s Vineyard.

Rogerio da Silva Lima and 15-year-old Nycolas de Al Varenga Lima were approached by the U.S. Coast Guard for a routine safety inspection roughly a mile offshore, the Vineyard Gazette first reported Tuesday afternoon.

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The Coast Guard then returned and took the father and son into custody. They were brought to Woods Hole in Falmouth, transferred there to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, and are now being held at a federal facility in Burlington.

Neither the Coast Guard or ICE have said exactly why da Silva Lima and his son were detained. The two originally lived in Brazil and moved to the island several years ago.

The incident has already sparked outrage among some residents, who say the detention reflects growing fear within immigrant communities on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Cod.

An emergency federal petition has been filed on behalf of da Silva Lima to prevent his transfer out of the country while the case proceeds.

You can read the Vineyard Gazette's coverage here.