New York Legal Assistance Group condemns illegal ICE/DHS overreach, demands Dylan’s release
NEW YORK — Last night the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a habeas corpus petition on behalf of Dylan, a Bronx high school student from Venezuela who was illegally arrested and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after appearing for a scheduled immigration court hearing at a New York City courthouse last week. Through the habeas petition, NYLAG attorneys are petitioning the court to ask for his immediate release. In the eight days since he was taken away in an unmarked car, Dylan has been moved between facilities in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, exemplifying a well-documented, predatory ICE tactic designed to prevent him from speaking with his attorneys.
To contextualize the filing, NYLAG issued the following statement:
“ICE’s illegal and morally indefensible detention of Dylan last week, without just cause or due process, is a gross miscarriage of justice.
“Dylan legally entered the United States to seek asylum. He is a model son, student, brother to his younger siblings, and member of his community. He works, goes to school, has friends and was fully complying with immigration proceedings. This is a kid who was doing everything ‘right.’
“Dylan’s arrest and ongoing detention cause him enormous harm and rob him of the legally permitted opportunity to seek asylum relief with the full protections offered to him under the law. We urge the court to call this detention what it is—unlawful—and order Dylan’s immediate release. We call on the court to ensure Dylan is not further disconnected from his family, community, medical care and legal support as we work to restore justice and return a promising young man to the life he’s worked so hard for by bringing him home to New York City as quickly as possible.”
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