Queens high school student detained after immigration court hearing, officials say
Another New York City public school student has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE agents detained an 11th grader from Queens outside a local courthouse during a scheduled immigration appointment earlier this week, New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles Ramos confirmed. The student's identity has not been made public.
Aviles Ramos released the following statement:
"We are deeply saddened to learn that one of our students was detained by ICE while attending a legal hearing to seek asylum. This young person should be returning home from school today, surrounded by family — not facing detention. Our commitment to all students, including our newest New Yorkers, remains unwavering. Our policies have not changed: schools are and will continue to be safe, welcoming spaces for every child. This incident did not happen in a school, and we urge families to keep sending their children to school, where they belong."
The New York ICE field office did not respond to a request for comment on the detention. The student's whereabouts remain unknown to his family.
Bronx student remains in ICE custody
Assemblymember Claire Valdez represents the Ridgewood neighborhood and has been in contact with both the school and the 11th grader's family.
"They are in incredible pain right now. They are terrified for their son. They are terrified for the rest of their family," Valdez said. "I don't think that you have to be a parent to put yourself in their shoes and to imagine someone that you love more than life itself being taken away in this incredibly, incredibly cruel way."
This is the second time in recent months a New York City public schools student has been detained by ICE.
Back in May, a 20-year-old Ellis Prep High School student named Dylan was picked up during an asylum hearing. He remains in ICE custody.
"They're just summarily grabbing people literally off the streets or in courthouses and shipping them to God knows where, where their own families don't even know," Sen. Michael Gianaris said.
"These are our neighbors. These are our children. It's unbelievably cruel, and New York state has a responsibility to stand up against it," Valdez said.
