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ICE releases NYC student; federal judge orders City Hall employee’s deportation
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Mar 18, 2026
Modified Mar 18, 2026
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Provided by Power Malu
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Mar 18, 2026
Modified Mar 18, 2026
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Two high-profile immigration cases in New York City took different turns on Wednesday morning.
Dylan Contreras, a Bronx high school student apprehended by federal immigration agents last year, was released from a detention facility in Pennsylvania early Wednesday, according to his lawyers and immigration advocates.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Contreras during a routine immigration hearing in Manhattan last May. He was the first New York City public school student to be detained during President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Advocates and elected officials rallied around Contreras, who had no criminal record, and held him up as an example of the misguided cruelty of ICE’s strategy.
“We are overjoyed that Dylan is finally able to return home,” said Kate Fetrow, an attorney at New York Legal Assistance Group, which was representing Contreras, in a statement.
Contreras, she added, had been “unjustly detained for simply following the rules.”
ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, a federal judge ordered Wednesday that Rafael Rubio, a City Council employee, be removed from the United States, according to the City Council. Rubio was arrested by ICE in January after officials said he was on a tourist visa that expired.
Council Speaker Julie Menin vowed to fight the decision, which she said was tied to a “procedural issue” related to his asylum application.
Contreras, who was 20 at the time he was detained, was attending ELLIS Prep, a Bronx public high school intended for older immigrant students who have been in the country for less than a year.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a statement celebrating Contreras’ release but also criticizing his detainment.
“What should have been a time for him to focus on finishing high school instead became 10 long months of isolation, after he was taken into custody at what was supposed to be a routine immigration hearing last May,” Mamdani said.
Earlier this month, advocates for Contreras reached out to Mamdani after he visited the White House and presented Trump with a list of individuals tied to Columbia University with pending deportation cases.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer also pressured White House officials to release Contreras. Contreras’ mother, Raiza, joined Schumer at the president’s state of the union address in February.
On Wednesday, Schumer said the Trump administration had “heeded his calls.”
“I sat with Raiza as she cried in my office the night of the State of the Union and told her I would do everything in my power to help bring her son home, and I am thrilled they are together once again,” Schumer said in a statement.
Immigration advocates Power Malu and Candice Braun said they had picked Contreras up at his detention facility on Tuesday night. “This is a moment for joy and celebration,” they said. “He is now free and back with his family in NYC where he belongs.”
Correction: A previous version misstated the timing of Contreras' release. He was released early Wednesday morning.
Tagged
Politics
immigration
new york city
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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