(New York) Opponents of Donald Trump’s migration policy welcomed Thursday the release the day before of a Venezuelan student arrested in May 2025 during a judicial hearing in New York, who in their eyes has become one of the symbols of the excesses of this policy.
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“We are so grateful you came home. This is your home,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani told him during a public meeting that also included the state’s governor, Kathy Hochul, both Democrats.
PHOTO LEONARDO MUNOZ, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Dylan Contreras
Aged 21, Dylan Contreras, a student at a Bronx high school with no criminal record, was arrested at the New York court where he went to defend his asylum request.
This type of arrest by the immigration police (ICE) is regularly denounced by opponents of the American president, who denounce a trap set for people who try to respect legal procedures.
Dylan Contreras was also the first high school student to be arrested under these circumstances in New York, which sparked a significant outpouring of support.
Migration authorities claim that the young man arrived illegally in 2024 on American territory. His lawyers dispute this version and believe that he did not benefit from a fair procedure.
The reasons for his release remain unclear and his asylum application is still being examined.
“It’s really terrible to be there,” Dylan Contreras said of his detention at a facility in Pennsylvania.
“There are all kinds of people who really didn’t deserve to be there, and with this case, I want to continue to fight for them, because that’s what we have to do,” he said again.
Since his arrest, several high school students have been arrested by immigration police and many are still detained.
