The City of New York on Tuesday filed an amicus brief in federal court backing the immediate release of E.J.C.C., a 16-year-old Bronx public school student detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a routine Oct. 23 check-in, arguing that detention should be a last resort for children who pose no flight or safety risk. The brief, submitted in the Southern District of New York, says the student—who lives with a family member, attends Gotham Collaborative High School with perfect attendance, and is described by teachers as responsible and engaged—has already missed three weeks of classes and faces irreparable educational harm. Mayor Eric Adams called public schools “safe, nurturing places” and said the city is “proud to support his petition for justice,” while Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant contended that the Trump administration had not met the “very high bar” for detaining the minor. The filing asserts that if the government intended to deport the teen despite his Special Immigrant Juvenile status and deferred application, it could have allowed legal challenges while leaving him in family care; instead, it detained him without warning at an appointment he “faithfully attended.” City officials said they have taken similar legal steps for other detained students in recent years.
– The City of New York today took action in support of E.J.C.C., a New York City Public Schools student who was detained on October 23, 2025, after attending a mandatory, routine immigration check-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, by filing an amicus brief in support of E.J.C.C.’s petition for immediate release from custody.
E.J.C.C., a 16-year-old who lives with a relative chosen by his mother, is a student at Gotham Collaborative High School in the Bronx. An average of 93 percent of students graduate from Gotham Collaborative High, and E.J.C.C., who has a 100 percent attendance record, is described by his teachers as a committed and responsible student. He is a leader in his college and career readiness class, showing his dedication to building a successful future.
“Our public schools should be safe, nurturing places where any child can get the best education and the tools they need to succeed,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “E.J.C.C. is a hard-working student, dedicated to his school work and future, who followed the proper immigration process. We are proud to support his petition for justice, just like we have done with the many other New York City Public School students who have been detained during routine immigration proceedings.”
“As detailed in this brief, the unnecessary detainment of children who pose no flight or safety risk causes irreparable harm to their schooling and to the educational system as a whole,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “The Trump administration has not met the very high bar for detaining this minor student who is better served remaining in the community with his family.”
The brief — filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York — argues that “detention should always be a last resort. In cases like this, where the child has been living with a family member and undisputedly poses no flight or safety risk, children should remain in their communities, allowing them to access city schools and services while their immigration issues are being resolved.” E.J.C.C. has already missed three weeks of class as a result of his detention.
The detainment will only further derail his education, and “given the passage of so much time, E.J.C.C.’s release will not be ‘prompt,’ as the law requires. Only his immediate release can prevent further harm.”
The brief further argues that “if the federal government wished to deport [E.J.C.C.] and believed his Special Immigrant Juvenile status and deferred application were no obstacle, it could have informed him that it planned to do so, allowed his lawyer to make any relevant legal challenges, and left him in the care of his family and school in the meantime. Instead, it chose to detain him without warning at the appointment he faithfully attended. The City of New York has a strong interest in ensuring that immigrant minors are not unnecessarily detained, and the city prides itself on offering a free and robust education to all children regardless of immigration status, ensuring that the city’s schoolchildren grow up prepared for civic life.”
The City of New York has taken similar legal action in support of other New York City Public School students, including Dylan Lopez Contreras, Jose Luis, and Derlis Snaider, who were all arrested in Manhattan courthouses after attending mandatory, routine immigration hearings.
November 11, 2025 NEW YORK CITY HALL
SOURCES: NYC.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com