ICE detained Queens 11th-grader at his immigration hearing, officials say

Federal immigration officials detained an 11th-grade New York City student while he was at an asylum hearing earlier this week, the city’s schools chancellor said Friday.

The principal of Grover Cleveland High School told state Sen. Mike Gianaris and Assemblymember Claire Valdez of the student's detention, they said. The legislators say they were told the student, who attends the school in Ridgewood, hasn't seen his family since he was detained on Wednesday.

The 11th grader is at least the second New York City public schools student to be detained by immigration authorities since the start of the current Trump administration. Last month, immigration officers detained a Venezuelan student who attended high school in the Bronx.

Mayor Eric Adams' office expressed alarm at the apprehension of another youth at a government facility.

“As Mayor Adams has said repeatedly, our city is less safe when people are afraid to use public resources — including going to their court hearings — and thus feel forced to hide in the shadows," said mayoral spokesperson Zachary Nosanchuk in an email.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment but on Saturday, department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said "ICE did not arrest a high school-aged minor near an immigration courthouse.”

However the details she described in her emailed statement did not match those provided by the city Department of Education, including the day the student was detained.

She went on to say “the media doesn't seem to care about the facts and is running away with another fabricated sob story."

Just received word that ICE has detained an 11th grader from Ridgewood’s Grover Cleveland High School after a routine immigration hearing. Apprehending minors in courthouses and separating them from their families is unacceptable, and I join the school in calling for his release

— Sen. Mike Gianaris (@SenGianaris) June 6, 2025

Neither incident happened on school grounds, according to city schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. Officials couldn't immediately specify the student's age in a statement Friday.

“It’s horrifying,” Valdez said. “I mean — this is my neighborhood. These are my neighbors. And it’s happening all over New York City, and the state. It’s beyond violent.”

Gianaris said he was told that the student's family members “are understandably frightened, and keeping a low profile” as both the school and elected officials attempt to find more information.

Aviles-Ramos said in the statement she was “deeply saddened” because “this young person should be returning home from school today, surrounded by family — not facing detention.”

She urged parents not to fear continuing to send their students to school.

“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,” she said.

This story has been updated with a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.