Family says Mass. man was mistakenly stopped by ICE, arrested for expired visa
As the Amarals ate lunch in their Marlboro home on Friday, they're also missing a key part of their family.
"He said you need to come pick up the car," Suyanne Amaral said. "ICE just got me and they're arresting me."
Suyanne told WBZ-TV that her husband, Lucas Amaral, was on his way to work as a painter when he was arrested by ICE agents on January 27.
Sent to the Texas border after arrest
The family's lawyer said he was mistaken for another man ICE was looking for, but when they realized Lucas was here on an expired visa from Brazil, they arrested him. He was eventually sent to the Texas border.
"He only found out he was going to Texas when he was inside the plane, he said. The agents don't tell you anything," his wife explained. "I was afraid because I have a child, I'm pregnant, he was the provider. We are a couple, but we're best friends."
President Trump promised mass deportations with a focus on those with a criminal history, but Lucas' family said besides overstaying his visa, he has a clean record.
"No criminal records and he is a person who's with family, her and the baby, or at church or at work," his sister-in-law, Francys Boechat said. "I was like why?"
There's hope that he'll be reunited with his family soon. A judge approved bail for Lucas, but it's unclear when exactly he'll return to Massachusetts.
With mounting legal bills, his family is worried about the future and whether Lucas can stay in the U.S. with his family.
"I just felt so powerless," Boechat said. "You are not illegal because you want to be illegal. Right now, it's very limited."
