---

“This kid has been sleeping on a cement floor for five days, no access to a shower; he’s brushed his teeth twice,” said Marcelo Gomes da Silva’s immigration attorney.

• The isolation that da Silva subsequently endured made him so “desperately lonely” that he took to banging on the walls of his cell to get someone to come talk to him, his lawyer told USA TODAY.

MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS − Sleeping on a cement floor in a windowless room. Only brushing your teeth twice in five days and never getting to shower. Being mocked by a guard.

These are among the “horrendous conditions” that Massachusetts high school junior Marcelo Gomes da Silva endured while being held by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, according to his lawyer Robin Nice.

Gomes Da Silva, 18, was arrested by ICE agents on May 31 when he was stopped on his way to volleyball practice with friends in his hometown of Milford. Federal officials said they targeted da Silva’s father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, who they say is an undocumented immigrant from Brazil, but they detained Gomes da Silva − who came to the United States at the age of 7 with his parents − when they realized he had overstayed his visa.

According to Nice, Gomes Da Silva was subsequently detained for five nights in cells that are intended to hold detainees for hours before being transferred. The cells lack access to basic amenities like beds and showers.

“The Burlington (Massachusetts) facility is not a detention center, it’s a holding cell,” Nice told USA TODAY after a June 5 hearing in Gomes da Silva’s case, which has drawn nationwide attention and fervent local opposition to his detention and possible deportation.

“It’s deplorable,” she added.

Nice first raised the issue in a federal immigration court hearing on whether he would be granted bail.

“He’s being held in just awful conditions no one should be subjected to: sleeping on a cement floor for just a few hours per night,” Nice began, before she was cut off by Immigration Judge Jenny Beverly, who noted the hearing was not the proper venue to raise the issue.

Shackles, teasing, and solitary confinement

Nice provided more details on her client’s confinement in a press conference after the hearing, in which the judge set a $2,000 bond for Gomes da Silva’s release, and in a subsequent interview with USA TODAY.

“This kid has been sleeping on a cement floor for five days, no access to a shower, he’s brushed his teeth twice. He’s sharing a room with men twice his age,” Nice said at the press conference outside the Chelmsford, Massachusetts federal immigration court.

At one point, Gomes da Silva was taken to a hospital emergency room because he was suffering severe headaches and vision loss stemming from a high school volleyball injury days earlier. When he was transferred to and from the hospital, he was handcuffed and kept in leg shackles and then moved to a different room, Nice said.

“He got back to the holding facility at 4 am and then was put in what I would refer to as solitary confinement: it was a room without anyone else, and all of these rooms that people are held in, there is no window,” Nice said. “There is no yard time, because it’s not set up for that.”

“If you are detained in the Burlington ICE facility, you do not see the light of day,” she said. “You don’t know what time it is.”

The isolation that da Silva subsequently endured made him so “desperately lonely” that he took to banging on the walls of his cell to get someone to come talk to him, Nice told USA TODAY. The guards, who he said mostly ignored him, nicknamed him “the knocker” in response.

When Gomes da Silva was held in the room with a larger group, one of the guards played a cruel practical joke on the detainees, Nice said:

“He said when ICE opens the door it means either someone’s coming in or someone’s getting released, so everyone perks up when they open the door. So he sees in a little slit in the door window, one ICE officer motion to another and says ‘watch this,’ and so one ICE officer opens the door to the cell and just stands their for a minute and then says, ‘psych!’ And closes the door. And everyone had just perked up,” Nice recounted.

The isolation in the ICE holding facility extended beyond its walls, Nice said. There was no way for her to call her client there, and he could only make one call for two minutes per day − and not even every day.

Nice wasn’t able to get in to see Gomes da Silva until the fifth day of his confinement. He was so shut off from the outside world that he didn’t know his varsity volleyball team had lost in the semi-finals of the state tournament, even though the match drew media coverage.

ICE did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on Nice’s allegations.

In a statement on June 2, Patricia Hyde, acting field director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations’ in Boston defended Gomes da Silva’s detention and said the agency intends to pursue deportation proceedings.

“When we go into the community and find others who are unlawfully here, we’re going to arrest them,” Hyde said. “He’s 18 years old and he’s illegally in this country. We had to go to Milford looking for someone else and if we come across someone else who is here illegally, we’re going to arrest them.”

Stories of justice and action across the country: Sign up for USA TODAY’s This is America newsletter.

‘Nobody deserves to be down there’

Later on June 5, Gomes da Silva himself addressed reporters after posting the $2,000 bond and being released.

“Nobody deserves to be down there,” da Silva told reporters. “You sleep on concrete floors. The bathroom — I have to use the bathroom in the open with like 35-year-old men. It’s humiliating.”

Gomes da Silva also said they were given only crackers for lunch and dinner. Nice told USA TODAY he was also fed what he described as an undefined “mush” that was “like oatmeal, but not oatmeal.”

A twice-weekly churchgoer, Gomes da Silva asked the guards for a bible but was not provided with one.

Beside him were U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss, both Democrats from Massachusetts, who said they returned from Washington, D.C., on Thursday to speak with da Silva and to inspect the detention center.

Consequences of an immigration crackdown

The Trump administration has sought to ramp up deportations of undocumented immigrants, including those like da Silva who were brought here as children and have no criminal record. ICE reported holding 46,269 people in custody in mid-March, well above the agency’s detention capacity of 41,500 beds.

USA TODAY has previously reported on allegations of conditions in ICE detention similar to what Gomes da Silva and Nice described.

In March, four women held at the Krome North Processing Center in Miami said they were chained for hours on a prison bus without access to food, water or a toilet. They also alleged they were told by guards to urinate on the floor, slept on a concrete floor, and only got one three-minute shower over the course of three or four days in custody.

The allegations come after two men at Krome died in custody on Jan. 23 and Feb. 20.

Contributing: Caitlin Kelleher, USA TODAY NETWORK, Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY.

Link

Link

Link

Link

Texas softball is a national champion for the first time.The Longhorns defeated Texas Tech 10-4 in Game 3 of the Women’s College World Series championship series on Friday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. Texas scored five runs off NiJaree Canady in the first inning and never looked back.

Leighann Goode capped the explosive first inning for the Longhorns with a three-run blast, which turned out to be the only inning for Canady. Texas added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a grand slam by catcher Reese Atwood, but could not finish the game with a run-rule victory in the fifth inning.

Texas ace Teagan Kavan limited Texas Tech to four runs and eight hits, but none of the runs she allowed were earned. This was the Longhorns’ eighth WCWS appearance, but their first-ever championship. The Longhorns lost to rival Oklahoma in the championship series last season.

USA TODAY Sports has you covered with scores and highlights from Game 3 of the WCWS finals. Catch up with the WCWS Game 3 here:

Watch WCWS finals with ESPN+

Texas vs Texas Tech softball score

This section will be updated

Texas vs Texas Tech softball updates

Final: Texas 10, Texas Tech 4

Texas beats Texas Tech 10-4 for first national championship

Texas defeats Texas Tech 10-4 first-ever national championship in softball. Mia Scott hit a grand slam in the fourth inning, while Leighann Goode had a three-run home run in the first inning. The Longhorns scored five runs in the first inning off Canady. 

Teagan Kavan struck out three in a complete game effort, limiting the Red Raiders to four runs, but none of them were earned due to errors by the Texas defense.

Hailey Toney drives in another run

Hailey Toney singles to left field to score Makayla Garcia to make it 10-4. Mihyia Davis is thrown out at third, but obstruction is called. The play is under review.

The call is overturned and Davis is out at third. Texas has two outs.

End of sixth inning: Texas 10, Texas Tech 3

Texas Tech forces seventh inning

Samantha Lincoln strikes out Reese Atwood and Katie Stewart with the game-clinching run in scoring position. Texas Tech forces a seventh inning. The Longhorns are still three outs away from a national championship.

Teagan Kavan keeps Texas Tech off the board in sixth inning

Texas Tech cannot put up a run in the top of the sixth inning. Texas will have another chance to walk it off via run rule in the bottom of the inning. Kavan picked up her second and third strikeouts in the sixth.

End of fifth inning: Texas 10, Texas Tech 3

Texas Tech forces sixth inning

A combination of a three-run fifth for the Red Raiders and a scoreless frame for the Longhorns keeps Texas Tech out of run rule territory. The Red Raiders will get to bat at least once more in the sixth inning.

Hailey Toney keeps Texas Tech alive with 2-RBI single

Texas Tech is not done yet. Hailey Toney with a two-RBI single and it’s 10-3 Texas with the lead in the fifth. The run-rule is off the table, for now.

Mihyia Davis plates first Texas Tech run

Mihyia Davis plates a run on an infield single, followed by a throwing error, putting runners on second and third with two outs for Texas Tech.

End of fourth inning: Texas 10, Texas Tech 0

College softball run-rule, explained

Texas has a 10-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning vs. Texas Tech. The Longhorns are three outs away in the top of the fifth inning from picking up a run-rule victory. Here’s an explanation of how the run-rule works in college softball.

Samantha Lincoln enters to pitch for Texas

Samantha Lincoln is taking over in the circle for Chloe Riassetto. Lincoln will be the third pitcher of the game for the Longhorns.

Mia Scott hits grand slam for Texas

Mia Scott deposits a ball over the center field wall for a grand slam. That’s a 10-0 lead for Texas. The Longhorns are now three outs away from a run-rule victory.

Teagan Kavan with most consecutive scoreless innings in WCWS

Teagan Kavan has now gone 28 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run at the WCWS. That’s the longest streak by any pitcher at the WCWS.

Teagan Kavan allows first hit, scoreless through four innings

Hailey Toney gets the first Texas Tech hit of the game off Teagan Kavan. However, Kavan retires the next three hitters in order and is through four innings without allowing a run. Toney was the first baserunner for the Red Raiders since Lauren Allred was hit by a pitch in the first inning.

End of third inning: Texas 6, Texas Tech 0

Katie Stewart double scores Reese Atwood to extend Texas lead

Reese Atwood leads off the bottom of the third inning with a double and is followed by a double by Katie Stewart, which scores Atwood. The Longhorns are now up 6-0. They are closing in on eight run-rule territory.

Teagan Kavan has set down seven in a row

Teagan Kavan has retired seven in a row, as she records her second straight 1-2-3 inning. Kavan only has one strikeout so far, but has generated five groundouts.

End of second inning: Texas 5, Texas Tech 0

Texas goes quietly in second inning vs Chloe Riassetto

After hanging five runs in the first inning against NiJaree Canady, Texas is unable to add more despite a two-out single from Kayden Henry. Chloe Riassetto, who came in in relief of Canady, holds the Longhorns scoreless to begin her night.

Chloe Riassetto enters for NiJaree Canady

Chloe Riassetto replaces NiJaree Canady in the circle in the second inning. Riassetto will be the first non-Canady pitcher to throw in the WCWS and since the start of the Tallahassee Super Regional.

Teagan Kavan retires Texas Tech 1-2-3 in second inning

Teagan Kavan delivers a shutdown inning by retiring Texas Tech 1-2-3 in the second inning. A quick inning from the Texas pitcher gets the Longhorns back at the plate with a chance to build on the lead.

End of first inning: Texas 5, Texas Tech 0

Leighann Goode hits a 3-run home run off NiJaree Canady

Leighann Goode hits a three-run home run off NiJaree Canady with two outs. Texas now leads 5-0 in the first inning. It’s Goode’s fourth home run of the postseason and the 10th of the season.

The Longhorns had five runs total in the first two games.

Katie Stewart extends Texas lead on NiJaree Canady

Texas has seemed to figure out NiJaree Canady, as Katie Stewart drives in another run on a single. The Longhorns have four straight hits, including back-to-back RBI singles to make it 2-0 Texas in the bottom of the first.

Reese Atwood gives Texas lead in first inning

With runners on first and second and one out, Texas catcher Reese Atwood singles through the right side for an RBI single to score Kayden Henry. The Longhorns have runners on second and third with one out following an E7.

Teagan Kavan fires scoreless first inning

Teagan Kavan throws a scoreless first inning, working around a two-out hit batter. Kavan needed just four pitches to retire the first two hitters, but Lauren Allred forced a 13-pitch at bat before being hit by a pitch. Kavan induces a groundball by Alana Johnson to get out of the inning.

Texas home team for WCWS Game 3

Texas is the home team for WCWS Game 3. That means the Longhorns field and pitch first and would bat last in the seventh inning, if necessary.

Game 3 of WCWS finals underway

Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan fires a first pitch strike and Game 3 of the 2025 WCWS is officially underway.

Pregame

How many innings is a college softball game?

A regulation college softball game is seven innings long. A typical game is seven innings, unless there are extra innings or the game ends after five innings due to the run-rule. Read more about the length of a softball game here.

Teagan Kavan starts for Texas in WCWS final Game 3

Teagan Kavan is starting for Texas in Game 3 of the WCWS final. Kavan started and won Game 1, but did not come out of the bullpen until the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 2. Kavan allowed two inherited runners to score, which were key insurance runs for the Red Raiders.

Texas starting lineup for WCWS final Game 3

Here’s the Longhorns’ starting lineup for the third game of the WCWS final:

1. Ashton Maloney, RF
2. Kayden Henry, CF
3. Mia Scott, 3B
4. Reese Atwood, C
5. Katie Stewart, LF
6. Joley Mitchell, 1B
7. Leighann Goode, SS
8. Katie Cimusz, DP
9. Kaydee Bennett, 2B

NiJaree Canady starting for Texas Tech

For the third straight night, NiJaree Canady is the starter for the Red Raiders. Canady has thrown 495 pitches in five games in the WCWS.

Texas Tech starting lineup for WCWS Game 3 final

Here’s the lineup for the Red Raiders in Game 3 of the WCWS final. Texas Tech is the designated road team.

1. Mihyia Davis, CF
2. Hailey Toney, SS
3. Lauren Allred, 1B
4. Alana Johnson, RF
5. Alexa Langeliers, 2B
6. NiJaree Canady, SP
7. Demi Elder, LF
8. Victoria Valdez, C
9. Bailey Lindemuth, 3B

Texas-Texas Tech most watched WCWS final Game 2 in history

Game 2 of the WCWS final between Texas and Texas Tech was the most-watched Game 2 ever with 2.1 million viewers. The game peaked at 2.6 million viewers and was up 5% from 2024’s Game 2 between Texas and Oklahoma.

The game is the fifth-most watched college softball game across ESPN platforms.

NiJaree Canady signs new NIL deal during WCWS

Not only is Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady flourishing in the circle in the WCWS this week in Oklahoma City, she is also doing well for herself off the field. She has reportedly signed a new NIL deal ahead of Game 3. Read more about the details of her latest deal here.

Texas-Texas Tech to play winner-take-all Game 3 WCWS final

Texas and Texas Tech are set to square off in a winner-take-all Game 3 in the Women’s College World Series championship series. Since the format was adopted in 2005, this marks the seventh Game 3. Here’s a look at the history of Game 3s.

What time does Texas vs Texas Tech softball start?

• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Date: Friday, June 6
• Location: Devon Park (Oklahoma City)

First pitch for Game 3 of the WCWS finals is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET from Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

What TV channel is Texas vs Texas Tech softball on today?

• TV channel: ESPN
• Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+

Game 3 of the national championship series between Texas and Texas Tech will air live on ESPN, with streaming options on the ESPN app (with a cable login) and ESPN+, the latter of which serves as the network’s streaming service.

WCWS finals schedule

Ben McWaters (left) passes the baton to Liam Kemeza in the Bromfield boys 4×800 relay race. The team came in fourth overall. (Photos by Adam Wool)

Evelyn Wool (#3) enters the seventh lap in the 2-mile MIAA D6 Track and Field Championship race. She won the race setting a new personal record with a time of  11:02. Rosie Bradley (#7) came in second with a time of 11:11)

The boys and girls outdoor track and field teams distinguished themselves at last week’s Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association Division 6 State Championship at Tufts University, winning gold in the girls 2-mile and boys high jump and medaling in 10 other events. The girls team also won a spot on the winners podium with their fifth-place finish among the 45 participating schools.

Senior Evelyn Wool won the girls 2-mile with a time of 11 minutes, 2.04 seconds, shaving 8.25 seconds off her personal record. She is now ranked seventh among this year’s Massachusetts 2-milers and 74th in the nation.

It was junior Rosie Bradley, however, who was first to take control of the 2-mile race, according to Coach Marisa Steele. “After a relatively slow first two laps, Rosie … broke away from the pack with Evelyn in tow,” she said. Wool took over the lead with three laps to go and closed hard to set a PR of 11:02.04, with Bradley finishing second, 13 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.

Wool also raced in the 1-mile event, placing second and setting another personal record in the process. “Unfortunately, she was overtaken by her Littleton nemesis, Erin Regan, in the final lap,” said Steele.

Vasilis Psathas dominated the boys high jump. “He was clean over all the jumps through 6 feet, 4 inches,” meaning that he had no misses at all during the competition through the opening height of 5 feet, 8 inches through 6 feet, 4 inches, said Steele. Two other competitors cleared 6 feet 4 inches, but Vasilis won the gold medal outright as the other competitors had missed jumps at lower heights.

The Girls 4×800 relay team came in seventh overall in the MIAA D6 Track and Field Championship. From left: Evelyn Wool (senior), Gabriella Temps (sophomore), Abby Wool (freshman), and Jacquie Wilkins (sophomore). (Courtesy photo)

At MIAA sanctioned track and field events, the top 8 finishers get medals. Other Bromfield medal winners were the fourth-place boys and seventh-place girls 4×800-meter relay teams; Ben McWaters, who placed fourth in the boys 2-mile; Sienna Schulz, fourth in the girls high jump; Harrison Binnick, seventh in the boys 800-meter, and Rosie Bradley, eighth in the girls 1-mile.

Three Bromfield athletes qualified for this year’s MIAA Meet of Champions, scheduled to get underway at Fitchburg State College June 5 and June 7. Wool and Bradley will compete in the girls 2-mile, and Psathas will compete in the boys high jump.

---

MIAA Division 6 Outdoor Track and Field State Championship, May 30 and June 1

Girls

• 1-mile: Evelyn Wool, second, 5 minutes, 8.80 seconds (PR); Rosie Bradley, eighth, 5:18.72
• 2-mile: Evelyn Wool, first, 11:02.04 (PR); Rosie Bradley, second, 11:11.81; Abby Wool, 27th,12:44.62
• High jump: Sienna Schulz, fourth, 5 feet, 00 inches
• Javelin throw: Ashley Aftosmis, 24th, 83-01
• Pole vault: Laci Ostaszewski, seventh, 8-00
• 4×800 relay: Evelyn Wool, Rosie Bradley, Gabriella Temps, and Jacquie Wilkins, seventh, 10:50.96

Boys

• 800-meter: Harrison Binnick, seventh, 2:02.19; Liam Kemeza, ninth, 2:02.46
• 1-mile: Ben McWaters, ninth, 4:41.29
• 2-mile: Ben McWaters, fourth, 9:43.16 (PR); Christian Johannesen, 20th, 10:26.70; Kai Kemeza, 27th, 10:40.49
• High jump: Vasilis Psathas, first, 6-04 (PR)
• Pole vault: Cole Maddalone, 14th, 10-00
• 4×800 relay: Harrison Binnick, Christian Johannesen, Liam Kemeza, and Ben McWaters, fourth, 8:31.36

Editor’s note: PR indicates that a result is a personal record.

Link