A Malden 911 call for a mental-health crisis ended with assault charges, an ICE arrest, four days in a field office, and a judge’s order freeing a Brazilian asylum applicant who had just miscarried.
Iara do Carmo Santana, 29, was taken by ICE on Sept. 4, 2026, hours after Malden police booked her for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and on a household member. Fiancé Gabriel Lemos, 31, a lawful permanent resident, called 911 after her late-August miscarriage, surgery, infection, and depression. Police said she pushed him and struck him with a hair straightener. The local case is pending.
She crossed unlawfully near San Ysidro, California, in July 2021, was released to seek asylum (hearing 2029), and works as a house cleaner with employment authorization. The couple plans to marry next year, then seek a green card. They live with her 6-year-old son…