A Lynn teenager detained by ICE this week after police arrested her for allegedly shoving her 12-year-old brother was released from ICE custody Friday afternoon, according to US Representative Seth Moulton‘s office.
She was freed hours after the Essex district attorney’s office dropped the charges it had initially filed against her, misdemeanor assault and battery on a family or household member. The girl, Zeneyda Barrera, 18, an eleventh-grader who works at Chipotle, had been held for days at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Maine, where she was in federal custody.
Barrera came to the United States more than two years ago with her family from Nicaragua. They crossed the border illegally and turned themselves in to immigration authorities, and have been in the process of applying for asylum ever since, her family told the Globe. Her mother, Zeneyda Hernandez-Molina, said her children were having an ordinary sibling spat over a cellphone when a neighbor apparently heard the dispute and called the police.
Patrick Callahan, Barrera‘s attorney in the criminal case, thanked various local officials, including the Essex DA’s office, for their assistance.
“I am just so happy for Zeneyda and her family,” Callahan said after Barrera’s release.
ICE has not responded to repeated requests for comment about the case. Barrera’s family could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
“This agency has always placed the safety and security of Essex County residents first and foremost and will continue to do so,” Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said in a statement. “We fully support our law enforcement partners, community members, and stakeholders, and we respect the immigration and enforcement process.”
The mayor of Lynn has expressed concern at how ICE operations were carried out in the case, which he said could make people afraid to contact law enforcement. The mayor’s office has been in contact with Barrera’s family, helped them connect to legal representation, and worked with Lynn Public schools to obtain documents for the teenager’s immigration case, Mayor Jared C. Nicholson said in a statement to the Globe on Friday, before she was released.
“ICE should consider all the circumstances when taking any enforcement action. If ICE’s intent is to target violent offenders who put our community at risk, people like Zeneyda should not be detained,” Nicholson said.
The Lynn Police Department said it did not inform ICE of the arraignment.
Callahan said that after Barrera was arrested and taken to the Lynn District Court on Monday, the judge in the case ordered Barrera released, but court officers took her to the lockup area of the courthouse instead of immediately letting her go. A court officer soon told him that ICE officers had shown up at the court with a detainer request and taken the girl into custody, Callahan said.
Moulton, who represents Massachusetts' 6th District, which includes Lynn, said in a statement he was grateful for the cooperation across local, state, and federal authorities.
“Our priority has always been the wellbeing of this young woman and her family,” Moulton said. “This incident underscores the importance of compassion and understanding in our legal processes, particularly for our youth.”
Since Barrera’s arrest, her family has been praying for her return home. Her brother, William, stopped going to school for fear of also being arrested by ICE, and her mother was unable to go to work at a day care.
“They’re treating her like a delinquent, and she’s not,” said Hernandez-Molina, 37, earlier this week. “She is the joy of this household.”
Annelise Araujo, the family’s immigration attorney, said in a statement to the Globe that the family was “happy to share” that Barrera had been reunited with her loved ones.
“She is grateful for all the support from her community, state and local officials, Congressional representatives, and pro bono attorneys who helped her through this difficult and frightening time,” said Araujo. “Zeneyda is a hardworking high school student who has a lawful asylum claim pending through the federal immigration system. She wants nothing more than to live a life of peace and safety with her family in the United States, and we’ll continue fighting on her behalf.”
Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio can be reached at giulia.mcdnr@globe.com. Follow her @giuliamcdnr.