Lucas Ribeiro Dos Passos, the Ayer resident detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on August 1 while working at his full-time job at Sorrento’s Pizzeria in Acton, was released from detention on Tuesday, Sept. 9, State Senator Jamie Eldridge told the Acton Exchange. Eldridge said he and State Rep. Danillo Sena, in whose districts Dos Passos lived, were very relieved for the 27-year-old. “Lucus is exactly the kind of person that should be in America…hard-working, doing a job that, quite honestly, a lot of Americans aren’t willing to do…with no criminal record.” He said the arrest was an example of the mass deportation agenda of the Trump Vance administration.
Rep. Sena introduced Dos Passos to an attorney, Eloa Celedon, after the arrest. Celedon had spoken at the May 21 panel discussion in Acton about the ICE arrests. Sena said he was very happy that Dos Passos was released so soon. “It was wonderful news. It shows that the community got involved, he had the right attorney. I know money was raised to help pay for his bond.”
Celedon spoke to the Acton Exchange about the case this week. “We are very happy with how it resolved,” she said, noting that it was not an easy case. “We requested the immigration judge release him through a bond case. The judge denied it. We ended up filing what is called a habeas corpus through the Mass. federal court. From that case, the federal judge ordered a new immigration bond hearing, so the case went back to immigration court, and the immigration judge allowed his release. It was a very compelling case because it shows that [they are detaining] even those with no criminal record — and he also had a pending asylum case — and I think it’s ludicrous, to just detain people to be released. It is a waste of not just resources but everyone’s time.”
Asked about Dos Passos’ experience at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility where he was held, Celedon said, “It was awful. The way they house individuals is in an open area. Everyone has access to everything in one common area; you have no privacy. It’s dull, the walls are yellow, it is a depressing place, and the food is awful.” She said frequent calls with his dad kept his spirits up. His father, in turn, was in frequent touch with Celedon.
“Detention work can be very emotional,” Celedon said. “You wake up thinking about the client, you go to bed thinking about the client. In a way, it was teamwork. The father was there for emotional support. I was here with my staff.” Celedon gave credit to a couple of the attorneys at the firm, including her colleague, Attorney Timothy Caron, who was able to stop a transfer to another state while there was a pending case.
Celedon said it is important for community members to support one another “during these troubling times, as I call it.” She said she was very happy with Acton’s community efforts to bring awareness to the issue of detentions. “Vulnerable immigrants are being attacked, put into situations that could have been avoided…One thing I mentioned at the panel: all this starts at home, educating families. Who are the immigrants? Who are our neighbors? There are families being separated by a very bad system.”
Celedon said having an attorney right in the beginning helps to guide people through the process a little better. She said people tend to believe, hopefully, “This won’t happen to me,” and they leave it aside. “It’s always good to have good, sound legal counsel, for preparation for something like this. There’s a lot of ‘know your rights’ information, but sometimes a lot is thrown at people, the media stuff, stuff they read, and it’s [hard to know] what would really apply to [their] situation.” Some facilities only allow detained people to make calls to people whose numbers they have with them as they are being processed. “Have an attorney you trust, whom you can contact if you are arrested.”
Celedon said if immigrants want a consultation with a lawyer and cannot afford it, there are some organizations that offer help with legal fees. Her firm charges $150 for a one hour consultation: 30 minutes with a paralegal to gather information, 30 minutes with one of their attorneys.