NYC Taking Legal Action Against ICE Over Arrest Of High School Student

NEW YORK CITY — New York City has filed a legal challenge against federal immigration officials after a high school student was detained after attending a mandatory hearing close to two weeks ago.

In an amicus brief filed on June 2, the city criticized Dylan Lopez Contreras' arrest at the court hearing and argued that it could have far-reaching consequences in the legal system.

City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant in the court filing wrote that Contreras' arrest "create a culture of fear around all manner of court proceedings that depend on cooperation from members of the public and undermine the public trust."

"The city fully supports, Dylan’s release," she said.

Contreras is currently in a ICE detention center in Pennsylvania.

On May 21, the 20-year-old Venezuelan migrant attended the hearing without a lawyer and "unwittingly relinquished his legal protections" and was arrested, Patch previously reported.

Contreras was attending Ellis Prep Academy in the Bronx and had been studying to improve his English and prepare for college. The 20-year-old had graduated from high school in Venezuela.

Contreras had turned himself in at the US border in April 2024, applying for asylum through the temporary protected status program that was overseen by the Biden Administration.

“Dylan Lopez Contreras was going through the exact legal proceeding that we encourage new arrivals to go through in order to be able to work and provide for their families — and even accessed the center that we created for migrants to be able to avoid city shelters and become independent. But instead of being rewarded for following the law, he was punished for doing what we all asked him to do," Adams said in a statement.

Contreras' mother told Chalkbeat that the city’s legal filing is “very good news.”

“I’m very grateful,” she said. “My son is not a criminal. He’s a student.”