Bronx public school student Dylan, who was detained by federal authorities at a recent immigration hearing, received a medical diagnosis over the weekend that his lawyers believe should have required his immediate release.
Worse yet, for days after learning of his diagnosis, Dylan’s legal team at the New York Legal Assistance Group was unable to reach him until Monday, according to new filings in a federal court case known as a “habeas corpus” petition, where he is challenging his detention as unlawful. Dylan, 20, who is from Venezuela, is currently being held in Pennsylvania.
At a conference Monday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines in Pennsylvania denied Dylan’s emergency motion, though his lawyers said they were told they could refile after the court and federal government review the medical records. His broader case challenging his detention remains ongoing.
“While we are disappointed with today’s decision by the judge, we remain unwavering in our determination to fight for justice, due process and to bring Dylan home as soon as humanly possible,” said a NYLAG spokesperson.
Dylan had been receiving medical tests for gastrointestinal issues that could be symptoms of Crohn’s disease or cancer at the time he was detained, the Daily News previously reported. His medical records and other sensitive health information were put under seal on Monday, and his last name is being withheld at his family’s request.
“It would be profoundly unfair, and irreversible, if prolonging this unlawful detention causes further and possibly very serious harm to this young man’s health at an exceptionally delicate point in his medical history,” Dylan’s filings continued.
Separately, the city’s Law Department made a motion to file an amicus brief on Monday, insisting the manner in which Dylan was arrested at a routine court hearing on May 21 could deter people from accessing the court system.
“The implications threaten to reach well beyond the immigration arena and reach the countless other matters affecting public welfare that require our residents to appear in court every day,” read the city’s filing in support of Dylan.
In a statement alongside the brief, Mayor Adams added Dylan was going through the legal process to be allowed to work, and accessed a public center helping migrants 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.
DHS did not return a request for comment on Monday afternoon but last week condemned a Biden-era asylum process that allowed immigrants like Dylan to enter the country with a notice to appear before a judge. The agency claimed President Trump has gone back to following the law and that the student and others in his position should have faced expedited removal from the beginning.
“If individuals have a valid credible-fear claim, they will continue in immigration proceedings,” officials said in a statement, “but if no valid claim is found, aliens will be subject to a swift deportation.”
He has since notched a win in the process when he passed DHS’s credible fear interview, meaning he will not be deported immediately and can bring his case back before an immigration judge — the process he was undertaking when he was suddenly arrested.
Dylan, a student at Ellis Prep High School, is pursuing a pathway to a green card. He has no criminal record.
His detention has struck a chord with New York politicians and advocates, who turned out last week en masse to protest his detention and Adams’ relative silence on his arrest before the amicus brief filed Monday.
Originally Published: June 2, 2025 at 3:57 PM EDT
