Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Last week, a New York City public-school student was detained by federal immigration agents at a Manhattan courthouse after attending a hearing in his asylum case. The arrest of the 20-year-old Venezuelan national, identified only as Dylan, is believed to be the first known instance of a public-school student being detained as part of the Trump administration’s mass-deportation agenda. While Mayor Eric Adams largely referred questions about the matter to the federal government, city officials are looking to reassure parents in the city’s immigrant communities that their children will remain safe within the school system. Here’s what we know about the developing situation.
What happened?
Chalkbeat first reported that Dylan, the 20-year-old student, arrived with his mother for a scheduled court date on May 21. His lawyers told the outlet that Dylan, whose full name is being withheld at his family’s request, attended the asylum hearing without legal representation present and that he was quickly arrested after a judge dismissed his case. Since being detained, Dylan has reportedly been moved between numerous states including New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania.
“Dylan entered the United States with permission to seek asylum, and his detention robs him of the opportunity to seek that relief with the full protections offered to him under the law,” the New York Legal Assistance Group, whose attorneys are representing him, said in a statement. “He works, goes to school, has friends, and was fully complying with immigration proceedings. All this does is disrupt communities and unnecessarily put people in chaotic and potentially harmful situations.”
What do we know about the student?
The New York Times reports that Dylan fled Venezuela, arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in April 2024. He was granted entry under a Biden administration–era program that allowed him to apply for asylum from within the United States.
Dylan attends English Language Learners and International Support Preparatory Academy or ELLIS Prep, a Bronx-based school targeted toward older immigrant students. His attorneys told the Times that he has no criminal record and that Dylan worked part-time as a delivery driver to help support his mother and younger brothers.
What has the federal government said?
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Dylan was in its custody, describing the 20-year-old as “an illegal alien from Venezuela who illegally entered the U.S. more than one year ago.” In a social-media post that uses his full name, the agency said Dylan has been placed in “expedited removal proceedings.”
“If individuals have a valid credible fear claim, they will continue in immigration proceedings, but if no valid claim is found, aliens will be subject to a swift deportation,” the statement read.
What have city officials said?
At an unrelated press conference on Tuesday, Adams said that there was no city coordination with ICE but largely deferred questions to the federal government. “We don’t know what happened in court, what caused this action. And you have to speak to the federal authorities,” he said. “I don’t know how I could be any clearer. Federal authorities handle ICE. I don’t control the borders.”
But the mayor emphasized the fact that the arrest did not occur within a city school and urged parents to continue sending their children to class. “It didn’t happen in school. I’m telling children to go to school. Be in school,” he said.
Melissa Aviles-Ramos, the chancellor of the city’s public schools, said the school community is “deeply saddened” for the student’s family and assured families that it is still safe for their children to be in their schools.
“While this incident did not occur on school grounds, we want to reassure our families: we will continue to speak out and advocate for the safety, dignity, and rights of all of our students. Our commitment to supporting every child and family — regardless of immigration status — has not changed. Our schools remain safe spaces and we encourage families to continue to send their children to school,” she said in a statement.
Several candidates in the New York mayoral race weighed in on the incident after news of Dylan’s arrest broke.
“This is sick and twisted. A NYC student who followed all legal requirements, arrested because of ICE trickery and a lack of legal representation,” comptroller Brad Lander wrote on social media.
In a post, Queens assemblymember Zohran Mamdani invoked the president and the man he’s looking to replace, writing, “Trump’s ICE is now kidnapping New York City high school students. This is where Eric Adams’ silence and complicity has led us. Free Dylan now.”
Brooklyn state senator Zellnor Myrie said in a statement that Dylan “took all the proper legal steps” to pursue a life in America. “Despite doing everything by the book, ICE still detained him without cause. This approach only fuels fear in our communities and weakens the very public safety it claims to protect,” he said.
