A Lewiston family is anxiously awaiting the return of a teenager who has been in federal custody since May 6.

Israel Pessoa-Amaral, 19, was leaving Lewiston District Court after having criminal charges dismissed when he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside the courthouse at 71 Lisbon St.

Pessoa-Amaral is being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts. His attorney has since filed a habeas corpus petition and a federal judge ordered a stay of transfer or removal, according to court records. 

“He has two little brothers who look up to him and they’re lost right now,” said Kassidy Tolliver, Pessoa-Amaral’s girlfriend. We all are. We need Israel back home. He has his family, me and my family. He deserves to come home.”

Pessoa-Amaral, who has no criminal history, originally came from Angola and lived in Brazil for a couple years before departing on foot with his family through Mexico to the U.S. border in 2024.

He was a minor when his family entered the U.S. under the Biden administration’s CBP One program, which allowed him to legally apply for asylum. He has an October court date.

After living in Texas for a period, Pessoa-Amaral’s family made their way north to Lewiston, where they set down roots, found work, learned English and where Pessoa-Amaral and his siblings continue their education.

“We came here (because) we had friends who told us (Lewiston) would be a city where we could live in tranquility,” his mother, Debora, said. “Unfortunately, that is not what we’re living here.”

An October 2025 incident involving a stolen car landed Pessoa-Amaral in hot water, Tolliver said. 

Pessoa-Amaral got a ride from a friend. When stopped by police, the friend ran, but Pessoa-Amaral stayed, not knowing the car had been stolen, Tolliver said. 

He was charged with refusal to stop and refusal to submit to arrest or detention.

Pessoa-Amaral would later be charged with failing to appear in court. He was too scared to appear, Tolliver said, due to a language barrier and not understanding the American judicial system.

“I’m really scared because I don’t do anything,” Pessoa-Amaral said in a phone call from the Plymouth County Correctional Facility. “I’m a good person.”

“He’s not a criminal,” Tolliver said. “He came to America with good intentions. He’s a good person. He’s still in high school and just got his driver’s permit. He didn’t come here to do bad. This is so messed up.” 

With the help of a court-appointed attorney, the charges were dismissed. Stacey Tolliver, Kassidy’s mother, said the dismissal was cause for the families to celebrate, but they didn’t get the chance.

“He goes to court, it gets thrown out and we’re all happy to go home and have a good day,” Stacey Tolliver said. “The kid didn’t even take a step outside (the courthouse), and there were five ICE officers that just tackled him.”

Pessoa-Amaral said agents pushed him toward their vehicles, pushing Tolliver out of the way to put distance between them. 

“They said, ‘Are you Israel,’” Pessoa-Amaral recalled. “I said, ‘How do you know my name?’ Then they pushed me to their cars.”

Pessoa-Amaral was transported to a Scarborough facility, where he was shackled by the hands, chest and feet. He said the shackles hurt and he was unable to scratch an itch on his face.

“I asked, ‘Why am I here? I’ve stayed good,’” Pessoa-Amaral said. “They looked at my picture on Facebook and they said, ‘You’re a gangster,’ that I sell drugs. But I’m a nice person.”

Pessoa-Amaral was held for seven hours in Scarborough, where the Tollivers were unable to establish contact. He was then moved to Plymouth.

When the Tollivers had to inform Pessoa-Amaral’s family, Stacey Tolliver said “it was like someone was murdered.”

“I was traumatized, I didn’t even know how to react, to be quite honest,” she said. “Then ICE put their statement out the next day … and made him look like he’s this big criminal. Huge criminal. And the kid has no charges.”

Kassidy Tolliver said she met Pessoa-Amaral in November and the two instantly clicked, a relationship growing by the day. While she helps teach Pessoa-Amaral English, he helps her family in any way he can, often doing yardwork.

Stacey Tolliver said that when her daughter’s father died about a year ago, Kassidy entered a deep depression and was hard to reach. 

“She was really in the dark and, I’ll tell you what, he brought her back,” she said of Pessoa-Amaral. “She’s going to graduate … and take a CNA course. She was really on task, and then when this happened coming out of the courtroom, it devastated her.

“The kid’s an all-around good person. He’s about family, not here to cause any problems. He’s a good human being.”

Stacey Tolliver said the ordeal has her rethinking her life philosophy.

“Before this happened, I was MAGA, I was for Trump, I was for ICE,” Stacey Tolliver said. “But when this happens in your own backyard, and you see the devastation that it did to not only Israel and Cassidy, but their family …”

With Pessoa-Amaral in custody, attorneys have asked the two families to seek out letters of reference to his good character, which they are doing.

Debora, who said she misses her son painfully, is waiting to hear from attorneys for news about his case.

“He has always been a good son. He is very responsible, helps with homework, and helps to take care of his siblings,” Debora said, adding that her son works hard at school. “He likes to study, but does not have patience (at school).”  

Pessoa-Amaral, who misses his family, girlfriend and her family just as much, is still trying to understand his situation. 

“They move you, don’t tell you nothing,” Pessoa-Amaral said in the phone call, adding that living arrangements at the correctional facility are not good. “The food is for dogs. It’s so, so bad. And nobody tells me nothing. I’m not a bad person. I go to school like any person. … This really, really, really hurts in my heart.”