Through tears, Raiza Contreras told of the pain she’s been living through as her son remains in Immigration and Customs detention.
“If I knew that something like this would happen to one of my children, I wouldn’t have come. I would’ve, I don’t know, maybe found another way, found a way to study, to live somewhere else,” she said.
What You Need To Know
Raiza Contreras is the mother of now 21-year-old Dylan Contreras, who has been in ICE custody for nearly 10 months
Recently, Raiza was a guest of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the State of the Union to highlight her son’s ongoing immigration journey
Raiza says her son entered the country legally and has committed no crimes. She hopes to one day be reunited again with him
It’s been nearly 10 months since she last saw her son, Dylan Contreras.
The now 21-year-old was detained back in May at 26 Federal Plaza, becoming the first public school student from the Bronx to be held by ICE.
“He was my helper, my buddy, my friend. I live alone with my kids. He was there for me and his siblings and me for them. And unfortunately, it’s like taking a piece from a gameboard and not being able to play with it anymore. It’s not the same,” Contreras said.
The family went from sharing happy memories to being separated across state lines.
Her son is being held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania.
Raiza is unable to visit.
“Because there is fear. If God wants me to go, right now they aren’t asking questions. They just simply take people, and if that were to happen, what would happen to my young children? And I wouldn’t take them either because I don’t want to put them at risk. I don’t want them to suffer more trauma than what they suffered to get here,” she told NY1.
Despite her sadness, Raiza continues to speak out and work toward her son’s release.
She joined Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the State of the Union address last month. She says the invitation gave her a rare opportunity to spotlight the experiences immigrants are having under President Donald Trump.
“I wish that the president would for a moment think too that not everyone is a criminal. That not all of us that come here are going to do bad things. We are looking to be a part of society to the best of our ability,” Contreras said.
The Trump administration has argued that the immigrants they are detaining and deporting are violent and dangerous.
NY1 reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for a response on why Dylan Conteras remains detained but did not hear back.
Last May, DHS said in a statement posted to social media that Dylan entered the United States illegally from Venezuela and is now subject to expedited removal.
His friends and supporters argue he’s been a model for the community.
“He’s a father figure to his two siblings because his dad died. He helps his mom. They all work together. He goes to the park. He loves nature. He’s not this evil type of person they are trying to say immigrants are,” said Power Malu, president of the ROCC, a grassroots organization that provides resources, opportunities, community and connections to immigrants.
Malu has been working closely with the Contreras family, and recently called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to add Contreras’ name to the list of immigration cases given to Trump.
“All we can do is hope that an amendment will be made,” Malu said.
City Hall and Contreras’ lawyers are in contact. In the meantime, Raiza says her new American Dream is that her son returns home.
“I only want to have my family together. I want for us to be a family again and that he gets his freedom. Imagine, a kid, he entered at 20 years old and now is 21, he practically lost one year of his life in there where he could’ve done so much,” she said.