LOWER MANHATTAN (PIX11) -- Hundreds of people attended a rally Thursday evening on the steps of the New York City Department of Education.
The group is demanding that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement release a 20-year-old Bronx High School student from ICE custody. The man, identified only as Dylan, is from Venezuela and was going through the legal process of seeking asylum.
Power Malu, who is in touch with Dylan's family, said Dylan and his mother went to an immigration hearing last week without an attorney. Malu said Dylan was duped into giving up his asylum seeker status, and ICE agents were waiting in the hallway outside the federal courtroom.
Malu added, "He was doing everything the right way, following all the procedures, and being compliant, and he shouldn't have been kidnapped."
Immigrant Advocates say about a dozen other people were also detained by ICE agents on Wednesday morning while attending immigration hearings at 201 Varick Street. U.S. Congressman Dan Goldman said he also witnessed it on Thursday. Goldman said, "This is Gestapo behavior, where plain clothes officers wearing masks are terrorizing immigrants who are doing the right thing."
Rosa Cohen-Cruz with the Bronx Defenders told PIX11 News that people seeking asylum should still attend their court hearings, but bring an attorney. If they cannot afford one, Cohen-Cruz said, "if the government tries to file a motion to dismiss, or seek to dismiss on the record, they can ask for the motion in writing, they should oppose the motion."
PIX11 News requested a response from ICE regarding the rally and the detention of the other immigrants in courthouse hallways. We have not yet gotten a response but Homeland Security previously issued this statement regarding Dylan on X.
“Dylan Josue Lopez Contreras is an illegal alien from Venezuela who illegally entered the U.S. more than one year ago. Under the Biden administration, he was encountered at the border and RELEASED into the country. On May 21, 2025, Contreras was arrested and placed in expedited removal proceedings.
Most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals. 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. 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.”
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