by Olivia Young Updated 3/26/26. Dylan Lopez Contreras, the now 21-year-old ELLIS Preparatory Academy student detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a scheduled immigration hearing, was released March 18 after 10 months of detention. A day later, elected officials, lawyers with New York Legal Assistance Group and activists with nonprofit Resources, Opportunities, Connections and Community NYC welcomed Contreras home at a rally in Middle Church at 50 E. 7th St., where Contreras spoke out about his experience in detention. Contreras was being held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center, an ICE facility in Pennsylvania. He was the first known New York City public school student taken into ICE custody during President Donald Trump’s second term. Contreras said in Spanish he was grateful for those that kept his name alive, as well as the messages and letters of support he had received while detained. He said he wished he could have brought the others in detention with him when he was released. “As much as I’m happy that I’m free and I’m out here, I’m still sad that there are people still in there unjustly that deserve to be free as well,” Contreras said. City and state officials including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Council member Eric Dinowitz stood beside Contreras and his mom, Raiza Contreras, at the rally. “He was taken from this city,” Mamdani said. “He was put in detention for nearly a year, and he was robbed of what should have been his. Because above all else, Dylan is a New Yorker. He belongs in New York City.” Dinowitz, a former teacher at the Bronx Theatre High School, which is in the same building as ELLIS, said he was inspired by the city’s inclination to rally behind Contreras. “There are so many people here still detained, just like Dylan, and we cannot stop fighting until they are all released,” he said. Dylan Contreras is represented by NYLAG, which announced his release the day it happened and said it was a momentous step in the right direction. “Nothing can undo the injustice of denying Dylan even a modicum of due process, stealing his liberty and personal autonomy, and snatching away the precious time, education and experiences he’s been forced to miss for nearly a year of his young life,” said Kate Fetrow, associate supervising attorney at NYLAG. Raiza Contreras said in a statement she was grateful to those that offered strength throughout her son’s detainment. “All glory and honor belong to God, who opened doors and made the impossible possible,” she said. “Very soon, my son will be back with his siblings and me — it is both a relief and a blessing.” Kathy Valyi, a longtime volunteer at ELLIS, told The Press she and other members of the community were starting to lose hope, especially after he was denied asylum by an immigration judge last September. “This whole period has been so unpredictable,” Valyi said. “As someone who has been watching [the case] closely … it’s one little moment for celebration.” Local elected officials also welcomed the news, and pointed to broader concerns with immigration authorities. Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz stated Dylan Contreras’ release brings relief to the community and underscores ICE’s “improper and abusive practices and the complete overreach of the U.S. immigration system under the Trump administration.” Dylan Contreras was arrested on May 21 after showing up to a mandatory immigration appearance at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. He fled Venezuela in April 2024 under a Biden-era humanitarian program. The Trump administration revoked legal status for individuals who came into the U.S. under the program in early 2025. Though Contreras has been released, his case remains ongoing.