A Venezuelan high school student in New York was detained by federal authorities at an immigration court hearing.
Dylan, a student at Ellis Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, was detained on May 21 after attending a routine immigration court hearing regarding his asylum application, Chalkbeat reported.
“Dylan Josue Lopez Contreras is an illegal alien from Venezuela who illegally entered the U.S. more than one year ago. Under the Biden administration he was encountered at the border and released into the country. On May 21. 2025, Contreras was arrested and placed in expedited removal proceedings,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek.
Why It Matters
ICE appears to be using a new strategy that places apprehended migrants into expedited deportation proceedings, a process that allows for faster removal without the need for traditional court hearings. This approach, known as “expedited removal,” can be applied to individuals who have been in the country for less than two years.
What To Know
Having entered the United States in April 2024 under a Biden-era asylum program, Dylan had been awaiting a court date while working and studying.
His deportation case was dismissed by a judge, which inadvertently made him eligible for expedited removal, a fast-track deportation process due to his under-two-year stay in the U.S.
ICE agents detained Dylan immediately after the hearing, despite his having no criminal record and no access to legal representation.
“It seems like a dirty game on their part,” his mother, Raiza, told Chalkbeat.
“When someone appears in front of a judge, it’s because they don’t have any criminal record, they want to do the right thing…The only thing he wants is to study.”
It is the first known example of a current New York City public school student detained by ICE during President Donald Trump‘s second administration.
Approximately 500 students from various New York City schools staged a walkout on May 27, gathering in Union Square Park to protest the detention and the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Students emphasized the value of immigrants in the United States and expressed concerns about the erosion of democratic values and free speech.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
What People Are Saying
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: “Most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals. Biden ignored this legal fact and chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including violent criminals, into the country with a notice to appear before an immigration judge. ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been.
“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.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams said at a Tuesday press conference: “We have to be extremely careful because the New York City Council laws, I’m limited on what coordination I can do, and so sometimes there’s a blessing and it’s a curse. We don’t know what happened at that hearing.”
A spokesperson for the New York Legal Assistance Group said in a statement: “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.”
What Happens Next
The administration is ramping up efforts to increase ICCE arrests nationwide. Enforcement operations are expected to continue in immigration courts.