NY Attorney General, mayoral candidates condemn ICE detention of Bronx high schooler

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Politicians across the city rallied on Tuesday around a Bronx high school student who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after showing up for a routine immigration court hearing, calling for his immediate release.

Among those decrying the arrest of Dylan, a 20-year-old asylum seeker from Venezuela, was New York Attorney General Letitia James, who called his arrest “despicable.” Mayoral candidates also questioned the detention, with one describing it as “sick and twisted,” while Mayor Eric Adams took a more muted stance.

Dylan attended ELLIS Prep, which caters to older newly arrived immigrants, and remained determined to make it to college. He is the first known current New York City public school student detained by ICE during Trump’s second administration, as Chalkbeat first reported on Monday.

He fled his homeland in April 2024 under a Biden-era entry program, reuniting with his mom and two younger siblings, who he helped support as a part-time delivery worker. He requested asylum and was permitted to stay as he awaited his court date.

Dylan went to last week’s court hearing without a lawyer and unwittingly relinquished his legal protections, his mom, Raiza, previously told Chalkbeat. He was promptly arrested by ICE agents who followed him out of the courtroom and into the courthouse lobby. He has no criminal record, his mom added.

(The family requested using only first names for fear of retaliation from immigration authorities.)

Similar scenes are playing out in courthouses across the country, with government lawyers asking immigration judges to dismiss cases against migrants, then immediately reopening them as “expedited removal” cases. The tactic allows authorities to arrest their targets on the spot and fast-track the deportation process with fewer legal checks, according to lawyers and numerous news reports.

A Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that Dylan was arrested and placed in “expedited removal proceedings.”

“Most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals,” the official wrote in an email. “Biden ignored this legal fact and chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including violent criminals, into the country with a notice to appear before an immigration judge. ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been.”

The official said that those with a “valid credible fear claim” will continue to wind their way through the process. “But if no valid claim is found, aliens will be subject to a swift deportation.”

A spokesperson for the New York Legal Assistance Group, or NYLAG, which is representing Dylan, pushed back.

“Dylan entered with permission from the United States. He was paroled in to seek asylum. To characterize his entry any other way is false,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

In the six days since his May 21 arrest, Dylan has been shuttled between four different states, including New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania, his lawyers and mom said. The constant movement has prevented his lawyers from connecting with him since it typically takes several days after a transfer to coordinate a consultation, said an attorney from NYLAG.

Additionally, Dylan suffers from extreme stomach issues, and his mother, who has been in touch with her son by phone, said he has not received medical care and has spent most of the time with his hands and feet cuffed.

Following Chalkbeat’s reporting on Dylan’s arrest, Mayor Eric Adams was asked about the situation at an unrelated press conference on Tuesday and emphasized that it didn’t happen at school.

“I want to be extremely clear. That did not happen in the school,” Adams said. “Children should be in school. I told parents that, and I lived up to that. We have had no raids in our schools.”

The city does not coordinate with ICE on civil enforcement, he added.

“We don’t know what happened in court, what caused this action,” Adams said. “Federal authorities handle ICE. I don’t control the borders.”

He continued: “My message to all immigrants, documented and undocumented … follow the law. If the law was that you had to show up to court, follow the law.”

Adams did not answer when asked if he would use his relationship with Trump administration officials to push for Dylan’s release.

Several other politicians expressed strong support for Dylan.

New York Attorney General Letitia James took to social media to rail against his arrest.

Two mayoral candidates also came to Dylan’s defense. City Comptroller Brad Lander said he would “work to make sure New Yorkers like Dylan have the legal protections and representation they deserve to fight back against ICE’s inhumane actions.”

And state Rep. Zohran Mamdani, wrote: “This is where Eric Adams’ silence and complicity has led us. Free Dylan now.”

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who is running for city comptroller, also posted in support of Dylan, writing, “We must demand his immediate release.”

Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael atmelsen-rooney@chalkbeat.org

Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy atazimmer@chalkbeat.org.