蜜桃影视

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

Dylan Lopez Contreras, the first New York City public school student detained by federal immigration officials during President Donald Trump鈥檚 second term, was released Tuesday night after spending 10 months in federal custody, according to his mother and his legal team.

Dylan, now 21, was a student at ELLIS Preparatory Academy, a Bronx school geared toward older, newly arrived immigrant students, and his arrest was one of the highest-profile early examples of an in immigration enforcement last year in which officers arrested immigrants in the hallways of federal court following their legal hearings. arrest.

Kristin Kepplinger, a spokesperson from the New York Legal Assistance Group, which had been representing Dylan in his immigration court case and federal habeas corpus lawsuit, said the reason for his release wasn鈥檛 yet clear, as they had yet to review his release documents.

His legal team was thankful to Mayor Zohran Mamdani鈥檚 administration and to the office of U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer who鈥檇 been advocating for his release, Kepplinger added.

Dylan鈥檚 federal habeas corpus petition was denied. An immigration judge also , but his lawyers appealed.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security didn鈥檛 respond to a request for comment on Dylan鈥檚 release.

A native of Venezuela, Dylan first entered the country in 2024 through a program under former President Joe Biden that allowed migrants to make appointments to cross the border and seek asylum.

Dylan鈥檚 arrest quickly earned local and national attention, prompting former Mayor Eric Adams鈥� administration to file an amicus brief seeking his release, along with rallies and calls from national elected officials. Last month, Dylan鈥檚 mother, Raiza Contreras, attended the State of the Union with Sen. Chuck Schumer.

鈥溾�淸I鈥檓] emotional,鈥� Raiza told Chalkbeat in a brief interview Wednesday in Spanish. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to God first and foremost and to all the people who were present in this case.鈥�

Gov. Kathy Hochul that she mentioned Dylan鈥檚 name in a recent meeting with Trump鈥檚 border czar, Tom Homan.

Mamdani said the city was 鈥渙verjoyed鈥� by Dylan鈥檚 release.

鈥淭hroughout this injustice, Dylan has shown remarkable strength, resilience, and courage,鈥� the mayor said in a statement.

Even as federal immigration enforcement swept up other city students 鈥� some of whom subsequently 鈥� Dylan remained in custody in Western Pennsylvania for nearly a year. In a September , he described the frustration and depression of having his life put on hold.

Norma Vega, the principal of ELLIS, where staffers and helped coordinate legal and other forms of support for the family, said she believes the sustained public campaign for Dylan鈥檚 release paid off.

鈥淚t confirmed for me we did the right thing,鈥� she said. 鈥淜eeping him in the public eye, he became the face of every immigrant youth across the country.鈥�

She added: 鈥淚t was about this kid who they [the federal government] inaccurately thought was alone 鈥� and how important it was for us to let them know he鈥檚 not alone.鈥�

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 蜜桃影视鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.