A New York City high school student named Dylan was arrested on Wednesday outside an immigration courthouse in Manhattan. The Venezuelan, a 20-year-old student at the English Language Learners and International Support (ELLIS) Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, a public school which serves immigrants 16 and older who are learning English, was at the courthouse for a mandatory hearing with his mother.
According to the New York Times, Dylan left Venezuela and entered the U.S. last year “under a Biden administration program that permitted thousands to temporarily live and work in the country while applying for asylum.” According to his mother and lawyers, Dylan did not have a criminal record.
According to Chalkbeat, when Dylan showed up for his hearing, government lawyers asked the judge to dismiss the deportation proceedings against Dylan. When the deportation proceedings were dismissed, Dylan’s asylum claim was too, “leaving him without legal protection and allowing the government to initiate an expedited removal.”
A NYC public school student’s arrest was part of a nationwide blitz of immigration authorities detaining migrants in courthouses in an effort to speed up deportations. https://t.co/0OHB53UveN
— Chalkbeat New York (@ChalkbeatNY) May 27, 2025
Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that Dylan had “illegally” entered the United States and that “most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals.”
At a press conference, Mayor Eric Adams said he could not comment on Dylan’s case because the case was outside of his jurisdiction. He said: “Federal authorities handle ICE. I don’t control the borders.”
Dylan followed the legal process to secure his education and work in our country, providing for his younger siblings and mother while finishing high school.
He did everything right, yet ICE still unnecessarily detained him, traumatically separating him from his family and moving… https://t.co/HT7bTA0k4U
— Adrienne Adams (@NYCSpeakerAdams) May 27, 2025
Adams, who is running for re-election in the 2025 mayoral election, was criticized for his comments (or lack of comments) by Rendy Desamours, a spokesman for the Speaker of the New York City Council, Adrienne Adams, a Democrat who is also running for mayor.
Desamours said: “Neither the city’s sanctuary laws nor any other city law prevent the mayor from advocating for New Yorkers being targeted by federal immigration overreach.”
Note: Adrienne Adams has the endorsement of New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who was arrested in 2018 for protesting the detention of immigrant-rights activist Ravi Ragbir after Ragbir was detained during one of his regular check-ins with ICE.
AG James advocated for Dylan and said of his arrest: “Dylan is a 20-year-old student who followed our legal process and is trying to get an education and provide for his family. ICE took advantage of his court date to arrest him. It’s despicable.”