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Navy veteran's father detained at Walmart while shopping with son

Jun 28, 2026·Location: Halifax, MA

Country of origin: Brazil

Navy veteran's father detained at Walmart while shopping with son
Photo via WGBH

Malton Lacerda, originally from Brazil and undocumented, was detained by ICE agents on June 28 while shopping at Walmart in Halifax with his son Victor Lacerda, a U.S. Navy veteran. The family's immigration attorney, Todd Pomerleau, says agents arrived without a warrant and acted aggressively, including drawing weapons; ICE denies that guns were drawn and says the operation was targeted and not based on racial or ethnic profiling. Malton has lived in the United States for roughly 25 years, works as a horse trainer providing therapy for disabled veterans, and was in the process of securing a green card through a veteran family member process when detained. He remains held at Plymouth County's ICE detention facility, and his legal team has filed court motions challenging the legality of his detention and seeking to block his transfer to another state without notice.

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