Another fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump was briefly detained over the weekend by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Hugo Monteiro, a Brazilian-born American citizen, was momentarily taken into custody on Friday outside the Cambridge District Court in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
The incident was captured on video by Boston 25 News cameras, which were rolling as Monteiro, 31, was accompanying a client to court when he was approached and handcuffed by ICE officers. A resident of Revere and a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2020, Monteiro was quickly released after presenting valid identification.
“I showed them my driver’s license and my passport, and then they confirmed it wasn’t me,” he told Boston 25 News.
According to preliminary information, federal agents were searching for another Brazilian national who is the subject of an ongoing immigration case.
Monteiro was briefly held in a government vehicle until his identity was verified.
Despite the incident, Monteiro expressed continued support for ICE officers and the immigration policies he actively endorses. “They’re doing their job and I support what they do,” he said.
“I voted for Trump, and there are a lot of bad people in this country who don’t deserve to be here,” he added in an interview with Fox25, which also recorded the encounter.
In response to inquiries from Fox25, ICE confirmed that an internal review is underway to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the confusion.
The episode has once again raised concerns over ICE’s identification protocols. While Monteiro was able to secure his release quickly, not all individuals subjected to similar mistakes have been as fortunate. Several U.S. citizens and legal residents have reportedly spent days in detention due to comparable errors, often without immediate recourse to assert their rights.
