Mother Of New York High Schooler Detained By ICE Speaks Out

Newsweek

20-06-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A distraught mother has told Newsweek how the detainment of her high school student son by federal immigration authorities feels like the "theft" of her child.
Dylan, a student at Ellis Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, was detained on May 21 after attending a hearing over his asylum application at a New York immigration court.
"We suffer firsthand the theft of our children, as is the case of my son Dylan, who, in complying with the laws, attended routine court and was deprived of his liberty without explanation or arrest warrant," Raiza said in a statement shared with Newsweek.
The family has requested that their surname be withheld from publication.
Why It Matters
Arrests at immigration courts have become a common tactic deployed under President Donald Trump's administration. ICE appears to be using a new strategy that places apprehended migrants into a process that allows for faster removal without the need for traditional court hearings. This approach, known as "expedited removal," can be applied to individuals who have been in the country for less than two years.
Dylan, a student at Ellis Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, was detained on May 21 after attending a hearing over his asylum application at an immigration court.
Dylan, a student at Ellis Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, was detained on May 21 after attending a hearing over his asylum application at an immigration court.
NYLAG
What To Know
Speaking through a statement translated from Spanish by the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and shared with Newsweek, Raiza condemned what she called a cruel and unjust system that punishes those who follow the rules.
"We don't decide where we are born or our race, but that doesn't make us more or less than anyone else. It's right to enforce the laws, but without committing injustices.
"It's inhumane to go against people and deprive them of their liberty without reason or cause to justify bad behavior. Many of those deprived are students, hardworking mothers and fathers in search of a better future and stability, helping to forge a country with our effort and sacrifice, giving the best to a homeland that gave us shelter since we are orphans of our land."
Dylan, 20, entered the country in April 2024 through a Biden-era asylum program and had been working and attending school while awaiting his court date.
Although a judge dismissed his deportation case, the decision unintentionally made him subject to expedited removal.
Following the hearing, ICE agents detained Dylan, despite his lack of a criminal record and apparently without providing access to legal representation at the time.
What People Are Saying
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Newsweek: Dylan "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. She added that on May 21, 2025, he was "arrested and placed in expedited removal proceedings."
Raiza said in a statement: "He is forced to suffer in prison as if he were a criminal or delinquent. We can only hope and trust in God that divine justice will allow an end to the injustices that we Hispanic people suffer today in this country. We only ask for mercy and empathy … there are more of us who are good.
"My son is losing months of his life in prison simply because he wasn't born in this nation … because he didn't even want to enter without authorization and he waited for his appointment to be admitted."
A spokesperson for the New York Legal Assistance Group said in a statement: "Dylan entered the United States with permission to seek asylum, and his detention robs him of the opportunity to seek that relief with the full protections offered to him under the law."