Last month, another devastating story of family separation, deportation, and detention driven by U.S. immigration enforcement gained the public’s attention. 

In this most recent case, a six-year-old NYC elementary school student and her mother, Martha, were deported to Ecuador. Martha’s 19-year-old son remains in ICE custody, and her 16-year-old son is now in the care of her 21-year-old brother. 

This case follows several other publicized detentions of public school students in New York City. 

In May, a 20-year-old Bronx public school student and asylum seeker named Dylan became the first known NYC student detained by ICE under Trump’s second term. He was arrested when he showed up for a routine immigration hearing and has been held in a Pennsylvania detention center.  

A 19-year-old Queens student named Derlis Snaider Chusin Toaquiza, whose parents applied for asylum, was detained at a Manhattan immigration hearing in June. Derlis was relocated to Texas where he was later released from ICE custody. 

Earlier in the month, Mamadou Mouctar Diallo, a 20-year-old Brooklyn high school student, was detained at an immigration hearing. He remains in ICE custody. 

These are not isolated incidents. The City reports that in June and July, the New York City field office arrested 48 children, of whom 32 had already been deported at the time of the report. 

These acts cause irreparable harm by tearing families apart, traumatizing children and parents, and forcing children and families into inhumane detention conditions, often leading to deportation away from their homes, communities, and families. 

Urgent action at the local, state, and federal levels is necessary to fight the persecution and dehumanization of immigrant children and their families. One critical step New York State can take is to pass the New York for All Act. This Act prohibits state and local officers from enforcing federal immigration laws and sharing sensitive information with federal immigration authorities. It also ensures immigrant families are informed of their rights before being interviewed by ICE and prohibits ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CPB) from entering non-public areas of state and local property (like schools) without a judicial warrant. 

We must protect all New York children. No child should live in fear of being taken and separated from their family. Join us in taking action by contacting your elected leaders and urging them to pass New York for All, a necessary step to safeguard our children, families, and communities.

You can also find and share helpful immigrant resource guides from Documented.