Another New York City high school student was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents following a routine immigration appointment, according to a state lawmaker.
The 11th grader attends Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, Queens, State Sen. Michael Gianaris said in a post on X.
"Apprehending minors in courthouses and separating them from their families is unacceptable, and I join the school in calling for his release," the lawmaker said in his tweet.
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WATCH HEREThe state senator called attention to the student, who was taken away after showing up to a routine immigration check-in on Wednesday with his family. Gianaris said the family was split apart and told to go into different rooms. Everyone but the high school student was released.
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SIGN UP "Imagine a family not knowing where their teenage son is, just taken away from them, God knows where he is being held," said Gianaris. "He’s from South America but the family is being guarded with the details because they’re frightened."
Gianaris said he was told by faculty at the high school about the arrest of the student, who has not been identified.
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The details of the teen's detainment by ICE are very similar to another New York City high school student who was taken into custody in May. That student, a 20-year-old from Venezuela, became the first reported NYC public school student to be detained by ICE since the start of President Donald Trump's second term.
That arrest also did not occur on school grounds, but rather after a scheduled court appearance in Manhattan, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which confirmed they had the student in custody. Advocates reportedly have said the student does not have a criminal record.
His attorney said his client had entered the U.S. legally under policies that were in effect under former President Joe Biden's administration. The city filed in court that the 20-year-old is being detained without cause and in violation of his right to due process.
Homeland Security said the student was placed in expedited removal proceedings. NBC News reports he is currently at a processing center in Pennsylvania.
"This federal government is now crossing the line and taking people who are here legally, not providing them with the opportunity to defend themselves in courts of law," said Gianaris.
The ICE field office in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the Queens student.
