Local News
A Noah Kahan concertgoer and a Seattle DJ who was in Massachusetts to watch a World Cup game were arrested as they tried to board flights back home last week.
A Florida dermatologist’s assistant and a Seattle disk jockey were arrested at Logan Airport as they tried to board flights home after enjoying a Boston concert and a World Cup game.
Colombia-born Maria Rosales, 32, had traveled from the Orlando area to Boston to watch Noah Kahan perform at Fenway Park. She was detained by ICE while waiting to board her flight home on July 10, according to The Boston Globe.
Her arrest came the same day as David Ardila, a 33-year-old Seattle-based DJ originally from Venezuela, who had traveled to Boston for a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match, according to WHDH.
Both are represented by attorney Todd Pomerleau, who told the Globe that Rosales came to the U.S. at age 4 and had been protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
He said her DACA renewal application has been pending since 2023. ICE has said Rosales was subject to a 2017 removal order, though Rosales’ attorney said she was unaware of the order.
Speaking to WHDH, Pomerleau said Ardila came to the U.S. on asylum and was detained after allegedly overstaying his visa while awaiting a decision on the application.
“The reason the visa’s overstayed is because they’ve dragged their feet on his asylum application,” he told the news outlet. “They are both in a detention center in Massachusetts for nothing more than applying for an immigration benefit under the law and waiting a decade for an interview or three years for an interview.”
Pomerleau told the Globe that he’s aware of about 10 immigration-related arrests at Logan Airport over the past three months, with most of those detained having no criminal history.
An ICE spokesperson told the Globe that Rosales and Ardila were arrested during “target operations” at the airport and that noncitizens in the country without legal status have the option to leave voluntarily.
“Being in detention is a choice,” the ICE spokesperson said.
Rosales is being detained at a Burlington facility, while Ardila is being held in Plymouth. Pomerleau said he has filed legal challenges seeking to keep both in Massachusetts and released from detention while their immigration cases proceed.
Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.
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