Photo courtesy of Northwest Bronx Indivisible
Local grassroots political group, Northwest Bronx Indivisible, held a rally in the Riverdale section of The Bronx on Saturday, Sept. 27, in support of 20-year-old Dylan Josue Lopez-Contreras, the Bronx high school student who, as reported in May 2025, had been attending English Language Learners International Support Academy (ELLIS) in Marble Hill, before he was detained by ICE in May during a scheduled court appearance. He has since become subject to a deportation order.
Despite prior public outcry and a large rally held in Lower Manhattan June in his defense following his arrest, Dylan continues to be held in custody in Pennsylvania. The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) announced in June that an NYC immigration judge had reinstated what supporters said was Dylan’s “wrongfully dismissed” asylum case. However, as reported, on Sept. 23, NYLAG announced that an immigration judge subsequently issued a decision to deny Dylan’s asylum claim.
Northwest Bronx Indivisible is a northwest Bronx-based “Indivisible,” grass-roots political group who say they were “brought together to resist the MAGA [Make America Great Again] agenda and to defend our Democracy.”
Photo courtesy of State Sen. Gustavo Rivera
They say they are “dedicated to electing local, state, and national champions for the progressive values that we share which include the right to healthcare, justice, and the battle to combat climate change.” Northwest Bronx Indivisible say they welcome anyone who shares their progressive values and who wants to actively work to make the world more just.
Since the denial of his application for asylum, Northwest Bronx Indivisible said they held the rally to highlight the threat Dylan faces of imminent deportation. The event kicked off at noon on Sept. 27, and was held at the corner of Johnson Avenue and 235th Street.
“The denial of asylum puts his life at risk,” representatives from Northwest Bronx Indivisible said. “Our community has supported Dylan in the past. He needs us more than ever now.” Prior to the rally, the group had encouraged members of the public to join and if they couldn’t, to make a contribution to a GoFundMe page set up in support of Dylan’s family and his case, to advocate for him by contacting their local elected officials, and / or to write Dylan a postcard.
Photo by Síle Moloney
“It is the letters from classmates, neighbors, and hundreds of supporters that have sustained him and his family,” the group said. “A postcard is more likely to reach him (past letters have been confiscated as “contraband”) and make a clear statement to his imprisoners. Our humanity must embrace Dylan personally and defy the ICE narrative that detainees are not human.”
Northwest Bronx Indivisible provided the following address for Dylan for letters/postcards:
Dylan Josue Lopez-Contreras, A244514475
Moshannan Valley ICE Processing Center;
555 Geo Drive; Philipsburg, PA 16866D
The group also provided the following suggested text: “Dylan, We are doing all we can to support you and care for your family. You are in my heart and loved by a huge community of supporters. We won’t give up!”
State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), and Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11) all joined the rally. The assemblyman later said in part of Dylan’s case, “Like many of our immigrant neighbors, [Dylan] was promised the American Dream but later faced detention despite him following all the rules.” The assemblyman went on to say that he joined his neighbors in support of Dylan, demanded he be granted asylum, and that he be allowed go home to his family.
Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz
He added, “The actions of the federal government do not reflect who we are as Americans. Our increasingly authoritarian federal government is dividing our country and is unamerican.”
Eric Dinowitz, who, as reported, had attended and spoken at the rally held in support of Dylan in May in Lower Manhattan, had released a statement on Sept. 25, prior to the Bronx rally, saying in part that it had been more than four months since Dylan was “ambushed’ and detained by ICE during his regularly scheduled immigration court appointment. In reference to the deportation order, the councilman said, “This is nothing short of cruel and unjust.”
He continued, “Dylan was doing exactly what we ask of all our young people. He was balancing work and his education at ELLIS Prep in pursuit of his dreams. Despite his honorable endeavors, despite pursuing the American Dream, despite going through the legal immigration pathway, President Donald Trump has decided to ruthlessly rip him away from his family, his community, his school and his future.”
Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz
The councilman said no parent should have to endure the fear of not knowing when their child will be released or not knowing if their child will no longer be with them. “I am furious and heartbroken,” he said. “But I will not stop fighting for Dylan, for his family, and for every immigrant targeted by ICE’s predatory tactics.’
For his part, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) said of the event, “Very proud to have joined my Riverdale neighbors to voice our support for Dylan Lopez Contreras, a high school student from Ellis Preparatory Academy, who was arrested by ICE in May and just had his asylum application denied.”
He added, “The Trump administration is unfairly targeting people like Dylan who came to our country looking for a safe place to live. Let’s continue to raise our voices so that Dylan is given the opportunity to contribute to our community as he has always wanted to.” He concluded, “If you are able to, I encourage you to donate to a GoFundMe created to support his family during this trying time.”
As reported, Rivera was among several elected officials who were arrested Thursday, Sept. 18, inside or near 26 Federal Plaza courthouse in Lower Manhattan, as an ICE [U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement] protest took place nearby. Read the full story here.
Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz
The senator was back at 26 Federal Plaza once again on Sept. 25, along with City Comptroller Brad Lander, who had also been arrested the previous week, and they, once again, proceeded to oversee immigration court proceedings. “Thank you @brad.lander for standing with our migrant community and for bringing me along to observe immigration court proceedings,” Rivera later wrote.
He continued, “New Yorkers’ rights are under attack and so many families are terrified to appear at their hearings fearing that they will be abducted and disappeared. Thankfully, many New Yorkers are volunteering to support and keep their eyes on the court. Aquí estamos y no nos vamos. [Here we are and we will not leave.]”
Another anti-ICE rally was held in Manhattan the same day. “Please join us tonight, rain or shine, for a mass mobilization to make clear: We want ICE out of New York City,” Lander had written earlier the same day. “We won’t stop showing up until they stop abducting our neighbors.”
Photo courtesy of State Sen. Gustavo Rivera
The comptroller added, “Seconds earlier, her husband had been abducted by masked ICE agents who did not identify themselves, did not present a warrant, did not give any lawful grounds for his detention.”
While condemning political violence and the shooting at an ICE facility that had taken place in Texas earlier the same week, Lander said that nonetheless masked ICE agents in Manhattan were acting violently against New Yorkers “illegally abducting them, holding them in cruel and inhumane conditions,” and “treating them as less-than-human, and not deserving due process.”
Together with Rivera, Lander added, “We will not stop bearing witness, stop condemning them, or stop doing all we can to stand up to this lawless behavior.”
Image courtesy of City Comptroller Brad Lander
Norwood News reached out to ICE for comment on the incident during which the woman was thrown to the floor and received the following response from an ICE spokesperson: “The officer’s conduct in this video is unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE. Our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional standards and this officer is being relieved of current duties as we conduct a full investigation.”
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.