A New York City public school student was detained by federal immigration authorities last week outside a court appearance in his asylum case, two advocates and his lawyers said.
Twenty-year-old Dylan — whose last name is being withheld at the family’s request through their lawyers — is a current student at English Language Learners and International Support (ELLIS) Preparatory Academy, an alternative high school in the Bronx for young adults who have lived in the United States for less than one year and are not yet proficient in English.
All students at ELLIS Prep are considered “over-age” but under-credited for students entering one of the city’s traditional public high schools.
ICE agents arrested Dylan, a citizen of Venezuela, outside the elevators in the lobby of 26 Federal Plaza on Wednesday after his case was dismissed by a judge, according to the New York Legal Assistance Group, or NYLAG. He was with his mom when he was detained and put into a van, the advocates said.
“People who are doing the right thing by going to immigration court on their court dates will now be worried if they’re going to be deceived into giving up their status,” said Naveed Hasan, co-founder of D3 Open Arms, an immigration and education advocacy group. He added that families are worried about sending their kids to school after a fellow student was detained.
“Nothing good is going to come of this,” he said.
Dylan is the first known local public school student to be put in detention by the second Trump administration. His arrest was first reported by the nonprofit news source Chalkbeat.
“Dylan has a whole life here. He works, goes to school, has friends and was fully complying with immigration proceedings,” NYLAG said in a statement Monday night. “All this does is disrupt communities and unnecessarily put people in chaotic and potentially harmful situations.”
Education officials confirmed Dylan was not on school grounds at the time of the arrest.
“Our hearts go out to the student who was detained by ICE, and we are deeply saddened for their family,” Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos posted on social media Monday.
“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,” the post continued. Aviles-Ramos insisted public schools are still safe and urged families to keep sending their kids to school.
In a twist, the request to dismiss the case came from the federal government, according to his legal team. However, when the court dismissed deportation proceedings, it also tossed his asylum case and made him vulnerable to Wednesday’s detainment.
His lawyers believe Dylan is in a Pennsylvania immigration detention center, though frequent moves across the country have made him hard to track. Before that, he was shuttled between Texas, Louisiana and New Jersey — complicating efforts to connect with his lawyers.
Separately, he had a family court appearance scheduled for Friday, where he is seeking special immigrant juvenile status, a pathway to a green card.
ICE did not immediately return a request for comment.
Originally Published: May 26, 2025 at 10:14 PM EDT
