An Island worker and his teenage son who were out fishing off Menemsha this week were detained by the U.S. Coast Guard and transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility on the mainland.
Rogerio da Silva Lima and his son Nycolas de Al Varenga Lima, 15, were out fishing Monday morning with a friend off the up-Island fishing port, the friend who was running the boat told the Gazette.
The Coast Guard had approached the boat initially to do a routine safety check and allowed the trio to go back to fishing, the friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said. The Coast Guard returned to the boat two more times and officers then took Mr. da Silva Lima and Nycolas into custody.
In a statement Tuesday, the Coast Guard confirmed it boarded a vessel near the Island and identified a father and son who required further immigration status verification. The Coast Guard coordinated with ICE and arranged a transfer point in Woods Hole.
“To avoid separating a father and his minor son, the Coast Guard coordinated with ICE to ensure both individuals could remain together during the transfer process,” the Coast Guard said. “USCG Station Menemsha transported the individuals to Woods Hole, where they were transferred to ICE custody.”
On Wednesday, ICE confirmed the arrests and said the father and son illegally entered the U.S. in 2021. A Justice Department immigration judge issued Mr. da Silva Lima and Nycolas an order of removal in August 2023, but they refused to leave, according to the agency.
"They will remain in ICE custody pending removal," a spokesperson wrote.
Mr. da Silva Lima and his son, who is a student at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, are from Brazil. Mr. da Silva Lima worked with Island business owner Rory Moreis for the last couple years.
“[He is a] hard worker, determined, dedicated, no limit to the hours of days to work, not a complaint,” Mr. Moreis said.
The friend who took Mr. da Silva Lima out on the boat said it was the father and son’s first time out fishing.
“I told all my friends about this, because nobody wants this to happen,” he said. “They’re not going to go out fishing because they don’t want a problem.”
After being brought to Woods Hole, Mr. da Silva Lima and Nycolas were taken to an ICE facility in Burlington where almost all detainees in Massachusetts are processed, according to the Martha’s Vineyard chapter of LUCE, an immigrants’ rights organization.
In a phone call to the friend on the Island, the father and son said they were told that they were going to be transferred by ICE to Texas, the friend told the Gazette.
After the arrest, a coalition of Island groups mobilized to try to keep the family in Massachusetts.
The local chapter of LUCE worked with Alexis Moreis, a tribal council member with the Wampanoag Tribe of Chappaquiddick and the daughter of business owner Rory Moreis, as well as the school district to help Mr. da Silva Lima and Nycolas. Mr. Moreis also reached out to seasonal Island resident and prison reform advocate Andrea James for aid.
“We made a statement as a tribal community, saying the Wampanoag Tribe of Chappaquiddick is offended and disgusted by the deportation of two people that we claim in our community,” Ms. Moreis said. “We see these as an offense to sustenance rights and being an Island resident.”
A private donor helped cover the fees to file a habeas corpus petition in Massachusetts U.S. District Court in Boston, and court records show the petition was granted Tuesday, meaning that the family is able to stay in Massachusetts.
“The community response has been amazing,” a spokesperson for LUCE said. “Keeping them in state is huge.”
The school district was working to make sure there are proper contacts for Nycolas, a place for him to live and familial supervision should he be able to come home.
"I want the community to understand that we, as a school system, are working hard to support the child and bring that child back," said schools superintendent Richard Smith.
ICE came to Martha’s Vineyard last May and arrested several people who had been living or working on the Island. All of the detainees were adults, and Ms. Moreis said that this was the first time a minor had been taken into custody on the Island by ICE.
The role of the Coast Guard Station Menemsha in this week’s arrest was also alarming to Ms. Moreis. During last year’s arrests, the Coast Guard helped with the transport of the detainees to the mainland, but did not appear to play an active role in the arrests themselves.
“The attitude wasn’t what a lot of people have expected from the Coast Guard,” she said. “I think that’s really a difference…This is the first youth detained from our Island community and it’s insane.”
Vineyard state Sen. Julian Cyr also said Tuesday that he was outraged and troubled by what he called an arbitrary detention by the Coast Guard.
“The Coast Guard’s primary mission is to protect people on our waters — this action violates that core mission and appears to be yet another example of the capricious and racially charged immigration practices carried out by federal agencies with no role in immigration enforcement,” he said in a statement.
The friend who was fishing with the father and son said the Coast Guard first approached his boat for a routine safety check. They then came back a few minutes later and asked for his ID and boater registration. At the time, they were free to go and went about fishing.
“They said, ‘Okay, you guys can go and enjoy the day,’” the friend said.
About an hour and a half later, the Coast Guard returned to ask more questions and ask for documents from the father and son.
It was during the last stop that Mr. da Silva Lima and Nycolas were taken into custody, according to the friend. The friend also said that the Coast Guard initially asked if the son could be handed over to family or stay with him, but later decided to take both individuals.
The Coast Guard told the Gazette it routinely boards boats to conduct inspections.
“In this specific case there were numerous safety violations with the vessel including: no fire extinguishers, no flares, registration not on board, vessel numbers not displayed etc,” the agency wrote in a statement.
LUCE has started a fundraising campaign to help with legal aid and raised more than $4,000 as of Monday afternoon.
The attorney listed as representing the father and son in the habeas corpus hearing declined to comment Tuesday, saying they needed permission from their clients before talking to the press.
Louisa Hufstader contributed to this report.
Editor's note: this article has been updated with a statement from ICE.
This article appears in May 22, 2026.
Why do we as a community continue to reward those who come here illegally?
It makes us who follow the law and come here legally look as bad as them. We need to stop rewarding people who do wrong.
Because they are our neighbors.
This is a heartbreaking story so far, especially involving a 15-year-old child.
No one likes seeing a father and son taken into custody, and it is understandable why so many Islanders reacted emotionally and wanted to help.
At the same time, compassion and the rule of law have to coexist. If there was already a return order in place, that cannot simply be ignored because someone is well-liked or hardworking. Many people come to this country legally and follow the process, often at great personal sacrifice.
That said, if legal proceedings are going to continue, keeping them in Massachusetts rather than transferring them thousands of miles away to Texas at least seems like the more humane outcome for the family and the community.
It is possible to feel sympathy for this family while also believing immigration laws still matter. Those two thoughts are not mutually exclusive.
Well said, and I agree with all you said. How that applies to this specific situation is not clear from one news report, so I’m not going to comment on that. If the return order is indeed true, then the consequences are deserved.
It’s a tragic day when a father and son can’t go out fishing. ICE out now.
I agree with you
I feel for this father and son, but for the life of me, can someone explain to me when we all decided as Americans that it wasn’t important to be here with legal papers, especially when people are clearly not fleeing persecution. I just cannot understand it at all and I am a Democrat. I don’t move to Italy and stay there. And if they already had an order to leave, some when did we all decide none of that matters. Really I am just asking people to figure this out. I am a hardcore Democrat but it is complete insanity to pick and choose which laws matter to follow, Trump and his administration do it all the time and we hate it, but on immigration it seems like the law is totally immaterial on Martha’s Vineyard, it’s just whatever we feel like
god help us all.
How very odd. I have been boarded by the Coast Guard several times and my passengers have never even been asked for identification and unbelievably their imigration status did not come up in the course of the inspection either. It is a shame the Coast Guard’s well deserved reputation for heroism and guardians of souls at sea is being threatened by their use in these cruel political sideshows.
Odd… I ran Fishing boats in Alaska. When boarded by the Coasties,, ALL of us had our Id’s checked through the federal data base. sometimes the coasts hauled off a crewman who had warrants. they are not picking on these poor people. They are ordered to follow the law
I am disgusted, frightened, and ashamed that our local Coast Guard personnel made an immigration arrest of reportedly hard-working members of our community with no criminal record. This will undermine the CG’s missions of safety at sea and protecting our shores. I can only hope that the young Coasties did it only under command from the brass and with deep regret. Still . . .
This is awful in so many ways, but terrible for the Coast Guard to play such a central role. Menemsha Station is about to find out how quickly hard-earned trust and respect can be lost. The leadership and crew of USCG Station Menemsha should be embarrassed and ashamed.
This is horrible, I am disgusted with our Coast Guard in Menemsha for this needless act.
Just the Feds doing their job
Mr Hatt’s class will forever miss Nicolas and his humor. It won’t be the same without him. The coast guard’s job is not to detain people, it is to protect the waters.
In addition to conducting search and rescue, the USCG is a law enforcement agency. It is a multi-mission agency and part of its job is to enforce the laws of the US. If you believe that someone should be able to come to this country and stay indefinitely, then you have a disagreement with the Congress who wrote the laws. Don’t get mad at the USCG for enforcing the laws as they are written, that is their job.
THAT”S DISGUSTING. HOW ARE WE LIVING LIKE THIS EW
Thank you Andrea James and to the National Council for stepping up and covering the legal fees.
The story is very sad… but unfortunately if they were here illegally, this is what happens. I don’t understand the issue. How about all the folks who do all the work to get here legally and follow the rules? What are we telling them?
The law is the law, yes, and we have “a government of laws and not men” (John Adams and others) “if we can keep it” (Ben Franklin). But when we know from many reliable sources that those taken by ICE are treated in inhumane ways violating the laws of this country, international law, and treaty obligations which have force among the laws of this country, we as citizens who want to keep a government of laws and not men by representative democracy, and simply as fellow human beings, are obligated to object and resist.
I am heartsick that ICE was brought back in our waters by the Coast Guard. Nicolas’ high school class will forever be impacted by his arrest.
Vineyarders are once again reminded of ICE’s frightening tactics.
Illegal immigration is a huge problem in many countries.
Italy, Uk, Ireland to name a few…. Everyone wants to blame Trump… this is a real problem..
Thank you Coasties, most of the island supports you!
Sending people to internment camps has never been the right thing to do. Future historians will not look kindly on this era.
Terrible job from coast guard I’m ashamed and disgusted for this action.
Every person in the United States, no matter what their immigration status is, whether they live here or are a visitor, is entitled to due process under the law. They will go before a judge to determine what will happen to them next, rather than going to an ICE facility in Texas where they could be held for months and never be heard by a judge.
As a legal immigrant who followed the laws of this country to come here, I find it difficult to understand why illegal entry is often treated as something insignificant. Entering the country unlawfully is a violation of federal law, yet many people seem willing to overlook that fact.
At the same time, we have serious challenges in our own communities. On Martha’s Vineyard, there are citizens that struggling with housing and other basic needs. Resources are not unlimited, and it is reasonable to ask how those resources should be prioritized.
What concerns me most is how blurred the distinction between right and wrong has become in public debate. It should be possible to have compassion for individuals while also respecting and enforcing the law.
We have to enforce the laws or change them. Do we want borders or not. If so, hand wringing over the enforcement of laws, just as extreme views on the other side are unhelpful. I would like to see a very broadened and lenient temporary worker (green card) program combined with strict enforcement of those that do not engage, self-report and apply for temporary relief. That way we can screen more effectively.
It’s sad that a 15-year-old had to get caught up in the issue. I actually think they did the right thing by not separating him from his father. I fully support the Coast Guard taking action. At the same time, I believe there should be a path for citizenship. These people are valuable members of our community. Hopefully, this mess will end up creating a path that neither party has been able to agree to so far. Sometimes the pendulum has to swing too far before cooler heads prevail.
What prompted the Coast Guard to return after the first inspection?