Iara do Carmo Santana, 29, was arrested by local police on September 4 after her fiancé called 911 during what he described as a mental-health crisis following a miscarriage and surgery. According to reporting, ICE agents detained her immediately after her release from jail using a shared FBI arrest database. She says she received little medical care, lacked a Portuguese translator, and was held at the Burlington facility before a judge ordered her release after four days. The case has prompted criticism about using arrest fingerprinting to trigger immigration holds and about detention conditions.
ICE Detains Massachusetts Woman After Fiancé Called 911 During Mental-Health Crisis
Iara do Carmo Santana/Facebook
A Massachusetts woman was taken into federal immigration custody after her fiancé called 911 seeking help for what he believed was a mental-health emergency.
On September 4, following a heated argument, Gabriel Lemos called 911 reporting that his fiancée, 29-year-old Iara do Carmo Santana, might be a danger to herself. Do Carmo Santana had recently suffered a miscarriage that required surgery and left her with a serious infection, and she was struggling with her mental health.
Local police responded and, according to The Boston Globe, arrested Do Carmo Santana on domestic-violence allegations that she pushed Lemos and struck him with a hair straightener. She was released from jail hours later.
However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were reportedly waiting to take her into custody immediately after her release. Officials say this was triggered by a shared FBI arrest database that is updated when someone is fingerprinted following arrest.
Iara do Carmo Santana/Facebook
Immigration Background and Detention
Do Carmo Santana reportedly entered the United States from Brazil via the southern border and was arrested by Border Patrol in 2021. She was later released, applied for asylum, and has an immigration-court date scheduled for 2029. The Boston Globe reports she obtained employment authorization and has been working as a house cleaner.
ICE agents transported her to the agency's Burlington facility. Do Carmo Santana told The Boston Globe that she informed ICE officers she was recovering from surgery and had an infection but received little to no medical treatment while detained. She also said she often went hungry and that staff did not provide a Portuguese-language translator to help her communicate with officials.
Allegations About Burlington Facility Conditions
Local reporting by WBUR has documented past complaints about conditions at the Burlington facility, including allegations that detainees were denied access to running water (preventing showering and handwashing), forced to sleep on concrete floors without bedding, and faced scarce food and inadequate medical care. Advocates have raised concerns about the use of arrest fingerprinting and shared databases to trigger ICE holds, particularly in cases involving mental-health crises.
After four days in ICE custody, a judge ordered Do Carmo Santana released. Her case has drawn criticism from immigration and mental-health advocates who say crises like hers should result in medical care and support rather than immediate detention.
Sources: The Boston Globe, WBUR.
Help us improve.
