Latest news with #DylanLopezContreras
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
NYC says it will support Bronx student from Venezuela detained after attending immigration hearing
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." This article was originally published on
NBC News
2 days ago
- General
- NBC News
NYC says it will support Bronx student from Venezuela detained after attending immigration hearing
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 Monday news release. 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 on 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."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mayor Eric Adams changes course, sticks up for 20-year-old high school student rounded up by ICE — after wave of criticism
Mayor Eric Adams belatedly offered support Monday for a Big Apple high schooler rounded up in President Trump's deportation blitz — reversing his original assertion that the Venezuelan migrant's arrest by ICE wouldn't discourage other migrants from seeking city services. The city's top lawyer filed a legal brief backing Dylan Lopez Contreras, a 20-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker who was detained in a Manhattan courthouse on May 21 after attending a mandatory immigration hearing. Contreras' arrest drew protests from hundreds of his fellow high school students last week, as well as a wave of criticism for Adams after he conspicuously declined to question the migrant's detention. The legal brief sounded the alarm that ICE's tactics threaten to deter people from participating in the court system — a key promise of New York City's sanctuary policies. 'The implications threaten to reach well beyond the immigration arena and reach the countless other matters affecting public welfare that require our residents to appear in court every day,' the brief states. Mayor Eric Adams, in a statement echoing the brief's arguments, said Contreras was punished for following the law. '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,' Adams said. But Adams sang a different tune last week when asked by The Post whether Contreras' arrest would discourage other migrants from going through the court system. 'No, I don't,' Adams said. A City Hall spokesperson tried to walk back Adams' initial comments, asserting the mayor was speaking with limited information. Adams has consistently voiced support for most sanctuary city policies that he maintains will ensure anyone, regardless of immigration status, will continue to call police and respond to court, if ordered. The mayor has also pushed to roll back certain sanctuary city policies to increase cooperation with ICE. Hizzoner's openness to reopening a long-shuttered ICE office on Rikers Island and allowing city officials to collaborate with the feds on civil immigration enforcement coincided with his cozying up to Trump and other MAGA-aligned leaders. Contreras' immigration case — which is unfolding in Pennsylvania federal court — potentially puts Adams in the tough spot of appeasing his Trump-friendly allies and assuaging fears of immigrant New Yorkers worried about being unfairly caught in deportation dragnets. 'Dylan has done everything legally necessary to satisfy his immigration process, yet was kidnapped by ICE right in front of his mother after attending his scheduled immigration court hearing,' said Power Malu, president of compassion and Candice Braun, chief empathy officer of Artists Athletes Activists/ROCC NYC, in a statement. 'On the one hand, the mayor of our sanctuary city is encouraging people to continue using public services and on the other hand he is not willing to stand up and protect our residents from wrongful ICE apprehensions.'
