New York (WRGB) — Dylan Lopez Contreras, described as the first New York City public school student detained in President Donald Trump’s ICE mass-detention and deportation campaign, has been released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is on his way to reunite with his family in New York City.
In a statement, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said;
Thank God Dylan Contreras is coming home. He will soon be back in New York reunited with his mother Raiza, his family, and the Bronx community that loves him. I sat with Raiza as she cried in my office the night of the State of the Union and told her I would do everything in my power to help bring her son home, and I am thrilled they will soon be together once again. Dylan did everything right, he entered legally, worked to support his family and enrolled in school, and he should have never been detained like this. I am glad the administration has heeded my calls and righted this wrong, but there are many more families like Dylan’s that have been torn apart because of ICE. The chaos experienced by so many communities and families at the hands of ICE must end.
According to Schumer’s office, Dylan entered the United States legally, was granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and was permitted to remain in the country while awaiting a hearing. He was enrolled in high school at Ellis Preparatory Academy in the Bronx and had obtained work authorization to help support his mother and care for his two younger siblings.
Despite that status, he was detained by ICE after attending a mandatory court hearing. ICE officers followed him out of the courtroom and arrested him in the lobby, according to the statement.
Schumer’s office said he worked with advocates across New York and stood with Raiza Contreras to elevate the case, including at the State of the Union, and that Dylan is now headed home to be reunited with his family and community.