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Dylan, Bronx high school student arrested by ICE, denied asylum claim
By
Jessica Gould
Published Sep 24, 2025
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Scott Heins / Gothamist
By
Jessica Gould
Published Sep 24, 2025
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A New Jersey immigration judge has denied the asylum claim of Dylan, the first New York City public school student known to have been detained during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Dylan's attorneys said he will appeal the decision and remains detained at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania. Dylan’s family members have asked that his last name be withheld because they fear retaliation from the government.
“The court’s decision to again further deprive Dylan of his basic rights to a fair hearing, due process and justice is outrageous and beyond heartbreaking — not only to Dylan and his family, but to his schoolmates, friends, teachers, neighbors and the many hundreds of community members,” said Lauren Kostes, supervising attorney for New York Legal Assistance Group Immigrant Protection Unit.
Dylan has been in detention for four months, ever since he was picked up by federal immigration agents at a routine court hearing in May at the age of 20. Since then, several other New York City public school students have been detained at courthouses during immigration hearings.
Dylan attended ELLIS Prep, a public international school in the Bronx serving immigrant students who are over the age of 15 and have been in the country for less than a year. His former classmates have sent him letters of support, and he told Chalkbeat New York earlier this month that those letters “have kept me going.”
Dylan came to the United States from Venezuela in 2024 and turned himself in at the border as part of an entry program permitted under the Biden administration.
City officials have encouraged immigrant students to keep coming to school and have said that federal immigration officials have not tried to enter school buildings.
“New York City Public Schools stands firmly with our students, including our immigrant students, and our schools will always be safe spaces for them,” Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said in a statement on social media shortly after Dylan’s detention.
Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, said city hall had filed an amicus brief on Dylan's behalf and that it is "devastated" to hear about his deportation order.
"No one in our city should ever feel afraid to attend a court hearing, send their child to school, go to the emergency room, or call 911," Garcia said. "We will continue to closely monitor Dylan’s case and are reviewing all options to best support him and his family.”
Tagged
ICE
education
nyc schools
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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