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Raiza Contreras, whose son Dylan has been in ICE detention since May, attended Trump\u2019s State of the Union as guest of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer. <\/p>\n
Photo courtesy Schumer\u2019s office<\/p>\n
A Bronx mother whose 21-year-old son has spent nearly nine months in ICE detention was U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer\u2019s guest at the Feb. 24 State of the Union address by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Raiza Contreras\u2019s son, Venezuelan-born Dylan Lopez Contreras<\/a>, was the first NYC public school student to be detained in Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown. According to attorneys, Dylan came to the United States legally, applied for asylum, followed all applicable laws, had no criminal record, and was attending Ellis Preparatory Academy in Marble Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nonetheless, ICE agents detained Dylan last May after a routine court hearing. He is still held at an ICE detention facility in Pennsylvania.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n In a video<\/a> posted to X, Raiza Contreras thanked Schumer for the opportunity to speak on behalf of Dylan and the many families in the same position.\u00a0 \u201cI am the silenced voice of my son,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cFor me, it\u2019s a kidnapping. My son is doing everything right, and they didn\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n Dylan entered legally, followed the law, showed up to his court hearing\u2014he was still detained.\n<\/p>\n Raiza, his mother and my SOTU guest, shared the nightmare her family has endured since.\n<\/p>\n While Trump lies, thousands of families are living with the consequences of ICE\u2019s cruelty. pic.twitter.com\/3sMB17JYCZ<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \u2014 Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n >\n<\/p>\n Schumer, along with other Democrats, has blasted the Trump administration\u2019s immigration crackdown and pushed for reforms to rein in enforcement.\n<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s speech, which lasted nearly two hours, came amid low approval ratings, with 59% disapproving of his handling of the economy, according to recent polling<\/a>. In the address, Trump touted major stock market gains and lowered inflation on certain items such as chicken, automobiles and eggs.<\/p>\n But the message did not land with Democrats, who said their party has led the way on lowering the cost of living.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cIs the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family? We all know the answer is no,\u201d said Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who delivered the rebuttal as the state\u2019s first female governor having flipped the seat from red to blue in November.<\/p>\n After the State of the Union, Schumer renamed<\/a> the speech \u201cTrump\u2019s State of Delusion\u201d and said on MS NOW <\/a>that it was \u201can utter failure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a lot of hype, a lot of fluff. But when you\u2019re having a rough time paying the bills, and you hear your President mocking you for that, you get angry,\u201d Schumer said. \u201cHe is in such a bubble, he is not talking about what the American people care about.<\/p>\n A number of Democrats, including Congress Member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, boycotted<\/a> the speech entirely.<\/p>\n Ritchie Torres attended with his guest Reverend John Udo-Okon<\/a>, a South Bronx pastor and community advocate who runs a food pantry that often sees community members lined up at 3 or 4 a.m. \u2014 drawing attention to economic struggles that Trump has repeatedly dismissed<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Locally, State Senator Luis Sep\u00falveda of the Bronx blasted Trump\u2019s speech and issued a lengthy statement calling it \u201ca national embarrassment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n He said Trump did not use the occasion to unite the country but instead \u201cdeepened divisions, distorted facts and avoided the true priorities of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n Sep\u00falveda said he was especially concerned about Trump\u2019s characterization of immigrant communities as criminals, which amounted to \u201cusing fear as a political tool.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe American people deserve transparency, honesty and real solutions, not partisan applause lines. My commitment remains with the truth, with the dignity of our immigrant communities, and with policies that respond to the realities of working familes,\u201d Sep\u00falveda said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t