Hundreds of NYC students walk out of school to protest Trump after ICE arrests 20-year-old Venezuelan classmate

Yahoo

2 days ago

About 500 Big Apple students staged a walkout Tuesday after federal immigration agents detained a 20-year-old Venezuelan migrant who had been attending a Bronx high school.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an Ellis Prep Academy student identified only as Dylan on May 21 when he showed up for a mandatory immigration court hearing, chalkbeat.com reported.
'It seems like a dirty game on their part,' Raiza, Dylan's mother, told Chalkbeat.
'When someone appears in front of a judge, it's because they don't have any criminal record, they want to do the right thing,' she told the outlet. 'The only thing he wants is to study.'
Dylan had graduated high school in Venezuela but was looking to improve his English and prepare for college at the academy, which is a school for English language learners and older students, the outlet said.
He had been living with his mother and two younger siblings, who also fled Venezuela, the report said.
More than 500 students skipped school at around noon Thursday to attend an anti-Trump protest in Union Square park, blasting the president for his hard-line immigration and border policies.
'A lot of my friends from my school are not citizens or even permanent citizens of the United States and I want to protect them, said Shera Zhou, 18, a senior at Stuyvesant High School. 'I want their voices to be heard even though they can't be here.
'I really think everyone should have the right to stay in the United States because we are a country built on immigrants.'
Nava Litt, a Bronx High School of Science senior, said the Trump administration was taking actions that were 'undemocratic,' threatening free speech rights and education.
'We can't just sit by and let that happen,' Litt, 18, said. 'Something that we think is a big concern right now is that students are being detained by ICE for exercising their free speech rights.'
Dylan had turned himself in at the US border in April 2024, applying for asylum through the temporary protected status program initiated by the Biden Administration. The Trump administration has since scrapped that program after President Trump campaigned on cracking down on illegal immigration.
The courts have blocked or ruled against some deportations that are enforced without adequate notice or due process but the repeal of temporary protected status remains in effect.
Chancellor Aviles-Ramos has also called out the detention.
'New York City Public Schools stands firmly with our students, including our immigrant students, and our schools will always be safe spaces for them,' the chancellor said in a statement.
'Our hearts go out to the student who was detained by ICE, and we are deeply saddened for their family. While this incident did not occur on school grounds, we want to reassure our families: we will continue to speak out and advocate for the safety, dignity, and rights of all of our students.'
Aviles-Ramos said the city public school system will support 'every child and family — regardless of immigration status' and 'we encourage families to continue to send their children to school.'
Mayor Eric Adams sidestepped the controversy during an unrelated news conference Tuesday, declining to question or criticize the student's detention.
'I want to be extremely clear. That did not happen in a school,' Adams said. 'We do not coordinate with ICE on civil detainers. I think that is a question for federal authorities.'
ICE had no immediate comment.