{"id":168076,"date":"2026-03-19T10:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T10:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/168076\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T10:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T10:46:08","slug":"nyc-student-set-to-speak-out-after-nearly-10-months-held-in-ice-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/168076\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC student set to speak out after nearly 10 months held in ICE detention"},"content":{"rendered":"

A New York City high school student who spent nearly 10 months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody is back home.<\/p>\n

A news conference is scheduled at Middle Church in Manhattan’s East Village, where Dylan Lopez Contreras is expected to appear alongside elected officials and community leaders to mark his return.<\/p>\n

Lopez Contreras, 21, returned to his Bronx home after being released Wednesday morning<\/a> from an immigration detention facility in Pennsylvania, advocates said. He had been detained since last May.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lopez Contreras, who is originally from Venezuela, was arrested at Federal Plaza <\/a>during what was supposed to be a routine immigration check-in, according to his legal team. At the time, he was 20 years old.<\/p>\n

He was the first high school student in New York City known to be detained by ICE since President Donald Trump took office for his second term.<\/p>\n

Photos shared by advocates show Lopez Contreras alongside supporters who pushed for his release. His mother also appeared in a video posted to the social media account of Sen. Chuck Schumer, saying she and her son believed they had followed all the proper steps to seek asylum in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Lopez Contreras is a high school student, and it is unclear when he will return to classes. His legal team said he hopes to graduate and study computer engineering in college. They added that he will resume his asylum case.<\/p>\n

“Legally, he’s essentially back where he started, but he lost almost a year of his life,” said New York Legal Assistance Group spokesperson Kristin Kepplinger. “It’s very clear he’s not a threat to anyone. He’s not a flight risk. He’s exactly the kind of person you’d want as your neighbor. He couldn’t be happier to be home with his family.”<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a statement welcoming Lopez Contreras home, saying, “I wish him a smooth and joyful return to his life, his community, and his future here in New York City. He is a New Yorker, and our city is glad to have him home.”<\/p>\n

Lopez Contreras was attending a Bronx high school that caters to older newcomers.<\/p>\n

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