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A Portuguese man and legal permanent resident living in New Bedford remains detained in a Maine prison on immigration charges despite reports in the Portuguese press to the contrary.
Agência Lusa, a Portuguese news agency, reported Tuesday that authorities had released Rui Murras on bond after more than a month of detention, citing Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of the Immigrants’ Assistance Center in New Bedford.
“I only spoke to the reporter at 10 this morning,” DaSilva Hughes told The Light in an interview on Wednesday. “My response was based on the reporter telling me that he had been released and I was very happy to hear that.
“I don’t know how the rumor was even started,” she added.
DaSilva Hughes said that she has since spoken with a family member who confirmed that Murras remained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland as of Wednesday.
Murras’ attorney, Stephen Roth, confirmed he is still in detention.
“I don’t know where they heard that from,” he said, referring to news outlets in Portugal. “But he is still very much in detention.”
Agência Lusa did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. The Consulate Generals of Portugal in Boston and New Bedford referred The Light to Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Relations for comment. The MFR did not respond to a request submitted through a government portal.
The case
Murras was taken into custody at Boston Logan International Airport in late March as he returned from a trip to Mexico with his girlfriend.
Murras, who has lived in the U.S. since he was 2 years old, is a legal permanent resident — known as a “green card holder” — and had a criminal record stemming from a 2012 drugs possession case that was dismissed by New Bedford District Court in 2013.
In 2017, Murras was charged with operating under the influence. According to court records, the case was dismissed the following year after Murras completed an alcohol education program—standard procedure for a first-time offense under Section 24D of Chapter 90 of the Massachusetts Code.
The court imposed no jail time on Murras for the OUI. Roth said his client’s drug charge from over a decade ago is the main issue in his immigration case.
DaSilva Hughes said that even though the charges were dismissed, those remain on his record and are accessible to immigration authorities.
“People think that because it is dismissed it is not going to show up on their record,” she said. “This is a perfect example of how that is an incorrect assumption.”
Fear taking root in Portuguese community
DaSilva Hughes said that many Portuguese people who have previously supported Trump’s hardline immigration policies now appear to pause after seeing their effect on the community.
“I’ve spoken to quite a few people who voted for him,” she said. “What they don’t understand is that this does not just affect people without a residency status.
“This case has brought in another layer of fear, especially with green card holders,” she continued.
She said she recently spoke to five Portuguese green card holders who had booked trips to Portugal but are now rethinking their plans. These particular green card holders have decades-old OUI charges that have been dismissed. She said in the past it would have been safe for them to go to Portugal, but now she advises against it.
“Under the present administration, we’re advising people not to leave the U.S.,” she said. “When they call, they’ll say ‘I heard there was a Portuguese guy in Maine. Is that true?’
“They may not reference [Murras] by name, but this has got quite a bit of attention.”
Kevin G. Andrade can be reached at kandrade@newbedfordlight.org.
It’s a different story when it happens to you. Cruelty towards anyone is cruelty to everyone!
“… many Portuguese people who have previously supported Trump’s hardline immigration policies now appear to pause after seeing their effect on the community.”
Perhaps you should run a story about the process for having a criminal record expunged.