Overview
- Dylan López Contreras, 21, the first known New York City public school student detained by ICE during President Donald Trump’s second term, was released on March 18 from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania and returned to the city.
- He appeared publicly on March 19 at Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan with Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, thanking supporters and calling for help for people still in detention.
- Contreras was arrested on May 21, 2025, at or just after a routine immigration hearing in Lower Manhattan, a courthouse tactic that prompted protests and legal interventions from city officials and advocates.
- DHS says he is subject to expedited removal and maintains he entered the U.S. illegally; his lawyers dispute that characterization, saying he entered through a border appointment program and has pursued asylum.
- An immigration judge previously denied his asylum claim and a federal habeas petition was rejected; his legal team has appealed and says his case continues while they review the terms of his release.