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New York, NY—Today, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), education advocates, allies, immigrant New Yorkers, and elected officials rallied and held a press conference on the steps of Tweed Courthouse to demand the immediate release of Dylan–a Bronx high school student asylum seeker from Venezuela who was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after complying with the legal process and attending his regularly scheduled court hearing last week.
Advocates are calling for Dylan’s release and urging the New York State Legislature to take bold action by passing the New York for All Act, which would prohibit local and state law enforcement from colluding with ICE. This legislation is essential to ensure every New Yorker has the right to due process. They are also calling on the City to pass and strengthen the NYC Trust Act, which would reinforce protections for immigrant New Yorkers by limiting the city’s cooperation with ICE. Additionally, advocates are demanding a $180 million investment in immigration legal services–critical funding needed to provide representation for families like Dylan’s, keep communities together, and uphold New York’s commitment to justice, safety, and opportunity.
“Dylan deserves freedom, not locked up in a detention center. His arrest is another example of how the Trump administration’s policies weaponize our immigration system against those seeking safety and a future. Unwittingly stripped of his legal protections and thrown into ICE custody, Dylan–a student, worker, and beloved son–has had his life upended for doing nothing more than showing up to a routine check-in. We demand Dylan’s immediate release. He should be in school, continuing his education, not shuttled from one detention center to another. New York must take bold action to protect the freedom and dignity of immigrant New Yorkers. The New York State Legislature must pass the New York for All Act now. New York City must also strengthen the NYC TRUST Act, ensuring no city agencies share sensitive information or aid ICE’s deportation agenda. Finally, we urge lawmakers to invest $180 million in immigration legal services to ensure that no one faces this system alone. Dylan’s freedom is on the line, we must stand with his family, and every immigrant New Yorker fighting for a chance to live with dignity and freedom,” said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition.
“Dylan is a student, a worker, and part of our community. He did everything right, and still, ICE tore him away from his life and family in New York. This was not about public safety. It was about sending a message to immigrant communities that no one is safe. Dylan should be in a classroom, not locked away in a detention center. We’re going to keep fighting until he’s back home where he belongs,” said U.S. Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, NY-7.
"I am outraged by the detention of Dylan, a 20-year-old Bronx student, legal entrant to the United States, and my constituent, who was taken into ICE custody despite having no criminal record and without any evidence of criminal conduct. Dylan came here legally through humanitarian parole, enrolled in school, got a job, and fought to lift his family out of homelessness. His detention is not only unjust; it is an attack on due process and a betrayal of our values. I am demanding answers from the Trump administration. Why was Dylan targeted? Where is he now? And how does this remotely serve the public interest? The people of the Bronx deserve an explanation," said U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres, NY-15.
“Dylan, who followed the laws, supports his family, and contributes to our city, was unnecessarily detained by ICE and trafficked from state to state by the Trump administration. This traumatic separation does not make our city safer. The actions by Trump’s ICE, including their dangerous policy of targeting people attending court hearings and routine check-ins while agents wear masks to conceal their identities, only stoke fear in our communities that undermines public safety. I join New Yorkers to demand Dylan’s release and his safe return to his family,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams.
"Dylan is a high school student and a provider for his family, unjustly taken from them while merely trying to follow the rules. This heartbreaking case where a 20-year-old has been detained without access to his legal counsel or necessary medical treatment, is just one horrifying story of many. ICE continues to heighten their attacks on vulnerable New Yorkers, mounting a presence in several courthouses. We cannot allow our rights and laws to be continuously violated. I stand alongside NYIC and others to demand the immediate release of Dylan and the passage of New York for All and the Access to Representation Act to protect against similar detentions in the future. Everyone deserves safety and dignity,” said Council Member Alexa Aviles, Immigration Committee Chair, District 38.
“Shockingly, a New Yorker who is legally here in the US, who is in school, who is part of a loving family with siblings who adore him, who went to an appointment at the Federal Building on his own volition, and who is the image of what a young person should be and who will be a model citizen, was picked up by ICE at his appointment. The Federal Building is named after Congress Member Ted Weiss; he would be outraged. I thank NYLAG for agreeing to represent Dylan, and I am encouraged by the massive outpouring of support for Dylan and his family. This case is particularly upsetting. I hope Dylan is released and that the horrific acts of ICE are exposed. Once again, the Trump administration is using tactics that are unlawful, abusive, and insane,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer, Oversight and Investigations Committee Chair, District 6.
“Abducting public high school students who have done everything right does not make our city, or our country, safer. It makes us less safe in the form of fear proliferated in our communities. It looks like workers not showing up for their shifts and students missing their school day. These abhorrent policies destroy communities and are a stain to a country that broadcasts the American Dream. Dylan deserves to be at home with his mother, sister, and brother. Dylan deserves to be at school with his friends and teachers who have provided him a second home. Dylan should not be shamefully shuffled through our immigration and detention centers without access to his legal team or his family. Bring Dylan home without delay,” said Council Member De La Rosa, District 10.
“Dylan is a student in my district - a hardworking teenager who came here legally to build a better life for himself and his family. He is beloved by his fellow classmates, peers, teachers, and his neighborhood. He believed in the promise of this country, and after all he’s gone through and doing everything the right way, he was taken from us - not on a New York City street and not at the border, but in one of our city’s courthouses. What happened to Dylan is not just a failure of policy - it's a disgraceful act of cruelty, carried out in a city that claims to be a sanctuary to our immigrant community. My office has worked tirelessly to provide immigration services and Know Your Rights resources to ensure our immigrant community has the support they deserve. I will not stop fighting until Dylan is home and our immigrant neighbors are truly protected,” said Council Member Eric Dinowitz, District 11
“I’m devastated by the detention of Dylan, a public school student who was arrested by ICE after unknowingly surrendering his rights during a routine check-in. “This is what family separation looks like in real time, instilling fear in immigrant families who are following the rules. Dylan belongs in a classroom, not a detention facility. His case is an urgent reminder that this year’s budget must invest in legal representation for immigrants. No one, especially not a minor, should have to navigate these complex systems alone,” Council Member Shahana Hanif, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus, District 39.
"President Trump said he was focused on deporting violent criminals. But Dylan turned himself in at the border, requested asylum and enrolled in school. He had no criminal record. He followed the rules. That didn't stop ICE from tearing him away from his family. My New York for All Act ensures all of us get the basic rights and protections we deserve, regardless of immigration status. We've seen the federal government weaponize immigration enforcement time and time again. If we want real public safety for our communities, we need to act now,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes, District 26.
“Dylan is a NYC Public School student who came here legally. He entered via a port of entry and was granted the right to seek asylum in this country. Dylan is not a criminal - he is a hard worker, a father-figure to his two younger siblings, the son of a widowed mother and a beloved member of his school community. Dylan has done everything legally necessary to satisfy his immigration process, yet was kidnapped by ICE right in front of his mother after attending his scheduled immigration court hearing. On the one hand, the mayor of our sanctuary city is encouraging people to continue using public services and on the other hand he is not willing to stand up and protect our residents from wrongful ICE apprehensions. We will not stand idly by and watch our immigrant neighbors who comprise the fabric and backbone of our city be tricked, trapped and kidnapped,” said Power Malu, President of Compassion and Candice Braun, Chief Empathy Officer, Artists Athletes Activists/ROCC NYC.
“Our schools are a second home for our students and as a member of the school board, we have vigorously reaffirmed that they are sanctuaries in which everyone can learn, play and grow. Caring for the needs of these children and their families is integral to the mission of our public schools and even issues outside the school walls, including in Dylan's case, his immigration court hearings, are the concern of caring school staff and advocates. Our elected representatives must lead with the conviction that all residents of the city are in their care when going about their lives in an exemplary, lawful manner like Dylan's family was. We demand the immediate release of Dylan back to his family and school community,” said Naveed Hasan, elected parent member NYC Panel for Educational Policy, Government Affairs committee chair.
“It is appalling that we have a Federal government practicing cruelty as a weapon against our newest arrivals, using agents of government to disrupt people's lives. AND that we have a Mayor who is unable and/or unwilling to protect the students in our schools. Literally, we the people stand for human rights and democracy in the face of authoritarianism and cruel government policies and practices,” said Ruth Messinger, former Manhattan Borough President and co-chair of the board, Interfaith Center of NY.
"We are supposed to be a city, and a nation, of laws. One of our Bronx high school students, who entered the United States with permission to seek asylum and was fully complying with immigration proceedings, was stripped of his rights. We seek justice for Dylan and need to protect our students who now live in fear that they or someone they love will be taken - no laws, no rights, no notice. We have to stand up and say no, not here, not with our students," said Michael Mulgrew, President, United Federation of Teachers.