House Dem Brought Illegal Alien To State Of The Union, Then Protected Him From Law Enforcement

There were rumors ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday that some Democrats would be bringing illegal immigrants as their guests as some sort of silent protest against Trump’s immigration policies. 

Well, at least one actually did, and may have committed a crime as a result.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) invited a young man with an expired student visa to sit in the gallery for Trump’s speech. Marcelo Gomes daSilva, 19, originally from Brazil, arrived in Milford, Massachusetts, at age six on a visa that has since lapsed. ICE arrested him last May at a holding facility in Burlington after agents initially came looking for his father. He applied for asylum after the detention. Moulton met him outside that facility in June, and the two apparently stayed in touch. Tuesday night’s invitation was the congressman’s way of giving him a platform.

But the Trump administration knew that Moulton and other Democrats were planning to do this. 

“While Republicans are bringing victims of crimes committed by illegal criminal aliens to the State of the Union, some Democrats in Congress are planning to bring ILLEGAL ALIENS,” the Department of Homeland Security posted on X before the speech. “Democrats are once again prioritizing illegal aliens above the safety of American citizens.”

Democrats called out included Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Seth Moulton.

Moulton, “plans to bring illegal alien Marcelo Gomes DaSilva,” the post noted. “Gomes DaSilva is an illegal alien who has no right to be in our nation. We are committed to enforcing the law and fighting for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens like him.”

.@RepMoulton plans to bring illegal alien Marcelo Gomes DaSilva.

Gomes DaSilva is an illegal alien who has no right to be in our nation. We are committed to enforcing the law and fighting for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens like him.

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) February 25, 2026

It was a shot across the bow, and Moulton’s office clearly heard it. Moulton’s chief of staff was forced to hustle the young man out of the chamber mid-speech and into his congressional office, reportedly to keep him away from law enforcement.

“[He] is still an illegal alien and subject to removal proceedings,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News. “The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country.”

Moulton defended his actions after the fact.

“He put a human face on this immigration tragedy, and what I think so many colleagues saw is not just an immigrant, but a great American, a great young American, an amazing patriot, someone whose courage we should all emulate in these challenging times,” Moulton told MSNOW.

What America saw last night was not just “an immigrant,” but a great American. A patriot. A reminder of what courage looks like. pic.twitter.com/SKyNaYvOrU

— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) February 26, 2026

Last year, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested and later convicted of felony obstruction charges for helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest. Dugan’s case established that the institutional trappings of a public office don’t inoculate anyone from the harboring statute, and it will be interesting to see what the Justice Department does in this case and whether Moulton, or perhaps his chief of staff, faces any legal consequences.

Another outstanding question is why Moulton brought Gomes DaSilva to the speech if he knew he was at risk of arrest and deportation? Perhaps the reason is that Moulton is running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democratic Senator Ed Markey and is seeking ways to pander to Democratic primary voters. Democratic primaries reward this kind of performative defiance on immigration. The only person who may not have fully grasped the game is Marcelo Gomes daSilva. Moulton claims he wanted to come to the speech to “confront” Donald Trump and his “MAGA Republican enablers,” but did he realize he was also being used as a campaign prop?