Ross Cristantiello

Maynard

Staff Writer at Boston.com

Reporter, @BostonDotCom. @EmersonCollege alum

Articles

Family of detained Milford student pleads for his release in new video directed at ICE

2 days ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

The family of Marcelo Gomes da Silva, the Milford teen detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice, released a video this week pleading with authorities to release him. In the video, Gomes’ mother, father, and two young siblings can be seen addressing the camera directly from the teen’s bedroom. “Please bring my son back, I miss my son so much,” Gomes’ mother, Daiane Pereira, said as her husband João Paulo Gomes Pereira visibly fought back tears and comforted her.
U.S. Attorney for Mass. blasts Wu over ICE concerns

2 days ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley sharply criticized Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Wednesday, days after Wu said that residents were “terrified” because of recent ICE activity in and around the city. Wu made her comments during a talk at the WBUR Festival last Friday. “People are terrified for their lives and for their neighbors,” she said.
Chelsea, Somerville ask court to halt Trump's efforts to defund them over 'sanctuary' status

3 days ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

Chelsea and Somerville both asked a federal court this week to block the Trump administration’s attempts to strip funding from the cities over their immigration enforcement policies. The two cities sued the federal government earlier this year in a challenge to the constitutionality of the administration’s actions. A motion filed Tuesday seeks an injunction to prevent the administration from withholding funds while the lawsuit proceeds.
Healey offers up 450 acres of state-owned land for housing

3 days ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

The Healey administration announced a new plan Monday to make more than 450 acres of state-owned land available for housing development. The land could support as many as 3,500 new housing units, officials said. Vacant court buildings, hospitals, college facilities, and even the former site of the state’s oldest prison could soon be converted into housing.
GBH lays off 45 employees

4 days ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

GBH announced Monday that 45 employees, or 6% of its entire staff, would be hit with layoffs, according to multiple reports. In a statement, CEO Susan Goldberg confirmed the layoffs and cited multiple factors. “GBH is being impacted by several dynamics at once: federal funding cuts, rising costs of doing business, and the need to evolve our work to meet audiences’ needs,” she said. The cuts come at a perilous time for public media.
ICE touts arrests of almost 1,500, gives update on detained Milford student

4 days ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

Federal officials from ICE and other agencies announced Monday that a monthlong operation in Massachusetts resulted in the detainment of almost 1,500 people, who the government called “criminal” and “illegal aliens.”This “whole of government” initiative, which officials dubbed “Operation Patriot,” follows weeks of residents reporting, and sometimes resisting, more prominent ICE activity throughout the state.
Boston awards $2.1 million in grants to immigrant groups

1 week ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

The Wu administration announced this week that it would give $2.1 million in grant funding to a variety of groups that work to help immigrants. The move comes amid the federal government’s ongoing immigration crackdown. This week the Trump administration included Boston on a list of so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” and accused the city of willfully obstructing federal immigration enforcement.
Trump admin puts 'sanctuary' jurisdictions – including Mass. – on notice with public list

1 week ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

The Trump administration increased its public pressure campaign against so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions this week. The Department of Homeland Security published a list of places nationwide that are allegedly “deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws” and threatened further action if local officials do not change their policies.
Police seek suspect in 'unprovoked' Red Line pepper spray attack

1 week ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly attacked someone with pepper spray on a Red Line train. The suspect’s identity is not known. MBTA Transit Police released images of the suspect wearing a dark blue Patriots hat, a blue surgical mask, and a light gray jacket. The “unprovoked” attack on another passenger occurred on Sunday at around 10 p.m. on a Red Line train near the Central Square station, police said. Anyone who recognizes the suspect is urged to call police at 617-222-1050.
Police respond to stabbing at MGH, the second act of violence there this week

1 week ago | boston.com | Ross Cristantiello

Police responded to reports of a stabbing near Massachusetts General Hospital Thursday morning, the second instance of high-profile violence near the hospital this week. Just after 8:30 a.m., officers from the Boston Police Department responded to a reported stabbing near the MGH lobby, according to a BPD spokesperson. At the scene, police found an adult victim suffering from a stab wound. The injury was not considered life-threatening.