New York City said it is standing behind a Bronx high school student from Venezuela who was detained last month by immigration agents after attending a routine court hearing.
The city filed an amicus brief on behalf of Dylan Lopez Contreras, a 20-year-old student at Ellis Preparatory Academy, arguing that he is being detained without cause and in violation of his right to due process.
Contreras has no criminal history and was pursuing a green card, according to the city's news release Monday. He is being held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania.
"Dylan Lopez Contreras was going through the exact legal proceeding that we encourage new arrivals to go through in order to be able to work and provide for their families — and even accessed the center that we created for migrants to be able to avoid city shelters and become independent," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
"But instead of being rewarded for following the law, he was punished for doing what we all asked him to do," the mayor added.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X that Contreras illegally entered the country more than a year ago, and that under the Biden administration, he was encountered at the border and released into the U.S. He was detained May 21 and placed in expedited removal proceedings.
"Biden ignored the law 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," DHS said.
"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," the DHS added.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the city's amicus brief.
The New York Legal Assistance Group, which is representing Contreras, said he came to the U.S. legally to seek asylum and is arguing for his immediate release.
The brief said that using Contreras' mandatory immigration hearing as an opportunity to detain him "threatens to deter people from accessing the court system on which local governance depends."
Detaining migrants immediately after their court hearings has become one of the tactics used under President Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation. Billy Botch, who works for the American Friends Service Committee Florida, previously told NBC News that the arrests happen almost immediately after the person's case is closed or dismissed.
Contreras arrived in the city in the spring of 2024, according to the brief. He has accessed multiple services intended to help immigrants, including visiting a city asylum help center and attending a program at Ellis Prep to help him learn English, the brief stated.
He was also working part-time to help support his family, the brief added.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said Contreras was "by every standard, contributing to his community and making good on the promise of the American dream." Torres demanded an explanation from the Trump administration.
City Council member Carmen De La Rosa said Contreras should be "in school with his friends, not shuffled around a disgraceful immigration system."
