The City of New York has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in the case of Derlis Snaider v. William P. Joyce et al., advocating for the release of Derlis Snaider, a 19-year-old 11th-grade student at Grover Cleveland High School, detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 4, 2025, following a mandatory immigration hearing. The brief asserts that such detentions create a climate of fear, deterring immigrants from accessing essential services and participating in judicial proceedings, thereby undermining public safety and trust in the legal system. Highlighting the significant contributions of New York’s 3 million immigrants to the city’s economic and cultural landscape, the filing urges the court to grant Snaider’s writ of habeas corpus to uphold fairness and justice.
City of New York Takes Action to Support Public School Student Arrested After Attending Routine Immigration Hearing
Amicus Brief Outlines City is Less Safe When Immigrants Are Afraid to Access Basic Services and Attend Court Hearings 11th Grader Detained Over a Month After His Immigration Hearing Was Adjourned
– The City of New York took action in support of Derlis Snaider — a New York City resident and current 11th grade student at Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, Queens who was arrested in a Manhattan courthouse on June 4, 2025, after attending a mandatory, routine immigration hearing — by filing an amicus brief in the case of Derlis Snaider vs. William P. JOYCE, in his official capacity as Acting Field Office Director of New York, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Caleb VITELLO, Acting Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Kristi NOEM, in her official capacity as Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security; Pamela BONDI, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice.
Derlis Snaider is a 19-year-old citizen of Ecuador who has no criminal history in New York City. He and his family sought asylum in the United States as a result of the discrimination they faced for being indigenous members of the Panzaleo tribe in Ecuador.
“Every day, our administration is working to make New York City safer and the best place to raise a family, but we know that when immigrant communities are not able to use city services, it makes us all less safe,” said Mayor Adams. “Once again, we are taking legal action in support of another young, New York City student, who was doing what he was supposed to do in attending a mandatory, routine immigration hearing.”
“Once again, as outlined in our brief, creating a culture of fear around court appearances deters people from participating in judicial proceedings — and not just immigration proceedings, but all manner of court proceedings that depend on cooperation from members of the public, whatever their legal status may be,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “These tactics undermine the public trust and violate the principles of fairness and justice. We urge the court to grant Derlis’ writ of habeas corpus.”
The brief — filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York — argues the city is less safe when immigrants are afraid of accessing basic services and attending immigration court hearings. The filing also outlines the important contributions that immigrants have long made to New York City, specifically on its cultural fabric, economic growth, and overall prosperity.
The amicus brief lays out the immigrant community’s — including those who are undocumented — vast contributions to the City of New York. The five boroughs is home to more than 3 million immigrants, comprising nearly 40 percent of the city’s population. Derlis Snaider showed up for his mandatory hearing and then was arrested in the immigration courthouse just outside the courtroom at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, a stone’s throw away from a federal district court; state criminal and civil courts; local criminal, housing, and family courts; and other courthouses. As the brief makes clear, these tactics risk driving underground those otherwise inclined to follow the country’s immigration laws, undermining the very system that those laws are designed to serve.
Further, in the brief, the city argues that the judicial system itself will suffer if residents fear that simply appearing in court to protect their rights or the rights of others could expose them to detention and removal.
This action follows two similar, amicus briefs the City of New York filed in support of Dylan Lopez Contreras and Jose Luis, two other New York City Public School students who were arrested in Manhattan courthouses after attending a mandatory, routine immigration hearings.
July 8, 2025 New York City Hall NEW YORK
Sources: nyc.gov , TV503 News
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