Who Are The People Arrested By ICE On Nantucket?

Manfredo Felipe Castanon Perez spent Memorial Day weekend working his new job running food at Cru, one of Nantucket’s most popular restaurants, located on Straight Wharf. Just a day later, he was arrested by federal ICE agents at his island apartment and transported by a Coast Guard vessel to a detention center on the mainland.

Castanon Perez, 26, was one of the 12 people taken into custody on Nantucket by federal authorities during the largest immigration enforcement operation on the island in years. Now his family is seeking information about his whereabouts and whether he will be deported from the United States.

“We don’t know anything about him or where they’re holding him,” said his sister, who asked to remain anonymous. “We’re worried.”

Originally from Guatemala, Castanon Perez had only been on Nantucket for two weeks before his arrest, his sister said. He had travelled to the island from Florida to work at Cru for the season.

“ICE arrived at the house he was renting, but we know they were looking for someone else, but they arrested him and took him away,” his sister said.

Cru's owners did not respond to messages seeking comment about his arrest.

The immigration enforcement operation conducted by ICE and other federal agencies on Tuesday ended with 40 people being taken into custody from Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Hyannis. ICE stated in a press release that the arrests included two people with criminal histories - “a documented gang member and at least one child sex offender” - along with “a significant number of illegal alien offenders.” The names of those taken into custody were not disclosed.

Castanon Perez's sister said he had entered the country illegally, but had a valid work permit, and no criminal record since he entered the United States. Nantucket District Court personnel told the Current there were no criminal cases involving Castanon Perez on record. It was unclear whether he had any criminal record outside the United States.

Late Thursday night, ICE updated its record for Castanon Perez in the Department of Homeland Security's database of detainees, showing that he is being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility.

As the ICE raid was unfolding on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard on Tuesday, Darcy Martinez got a concerning phone call from her father on Nantucket. Martinez's uncle and cousin had not shown up for work that morning. She started searching for news about the immigration enforcement operation, and saw a photo posted by the Current with her relatives in custody aboard the Coast Guard vessel.

"We searched it up, and then we saw the pictures on the Nantucket Current, and we saw that it was them, and that's how we confirmed that it was actually them who got taken," Martinez said.

Her uncle and cousin, who share the name Pedro Reyes, had been working in the construction and restaurant industries on Nantucket for the past two years. Originally from Mexico, they made their way to the island for work, following Martinez's father.

 "They came here to support their family," Martinez said. "My cousin, who's actually one year older than me, he has a son back in Mexico, a son and a wife, and my uncle has four kids back home. So, you know, their goal is to support their families."

Martinez emphasized that her relatives had no criminal history and were working seven days per week on the island. Nantucket District Court showed no criminal history for either Pedro Reyes on the island.

"They are good people, they do the right thing," she said. "They've never even gotten a ticket. They just go there for work....They don't have criminal records, they're just like normal people, you know?"

The father and son were pulled over by ICE and other federal agents as they were driving to work on Tuesday, and were among the dozen individuals taken into custody on the island during the immigration enforcement operation.

Martinez acknowledged that her uncle and cousin had come into the United States illegally. She said they did so because the process to enter legally was so challenging.

"Coming to this country, it's not as easy as people think," she said. "It's not like you just go in and you can apply to become a citizen or even get a green card. They're from third-world countries where money is not really available. That's why they come here."

She added that since Pedro Reyes and his son were arrested, another tenant at their apartment had removed all of their belongings and money.

"They took all their stuff, all their money," Martinez said. The extended family has reacted to the news of their arrests with disbelief.

"We're very shocked," she said. "Like they can't believe that this is happening, you know? It really sets the reality that this is really, truly happening, you know what I mean?"

The Current is seeking information to identify the other individuals taken into custody by ICE on Nantucket on Tuesday. Reach out if you have any leads.