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NYC Student Dylan Lopez Contreras Released From ICE Custody After 10 Months

Advocates credit sustained pressure for the outcome, with his asylum appeal still pending.

Overview

  • He was freed early Wednesday from the Moshannon Valley ICE facility in Pennsylvania and reunited with his family in the Bronx, according to advocates and his lawyers.
  • ICE arrested him on May 21, 2025, after a routine immigration court hearing in Lower Manhattan; he had no criminal record and was enrolled at ELLIS Prep.
  • His legal team says the precise basis for the release has not been disclosed, and court records show his asylum claim was denied and is now on appeal.
  • DHS contends he entered the U.S. illegally and was subject to expedited removal, while his attorneys maintain he entered legally and sought asylum.
  • Elected officials and advocates, including Sen. Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, pressed for his release, and a news conference is scheduled today in Manhattan.