Mayor Eric Adams is standing behind a 16-year-old Bronx high schooler, Joel Camas, who was recently detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The city has formally filed legal papers supporting Camas’s lawsuit aimed at halting his deportation.
Camas was arrested during a routine immigration check on October 23 and now faces deportation to Ecuador. He originally fled Ecuador in 2022 to escape threats from violent gangs, according to documents submitted in Manhattan federal court.
The Adams administration argues that Camas, as a teenage public school student, should have the right to “access city schools and services while their immigration issues are being resolved.” This stance was detailed in a brief filed Monday in support of the teen.
In a statement, Mayor Adams described Camas as “a hard-working student, dedicated to his school work and future, who followed the proper immigration process.” He added, “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.”
Since his arrest, Camas has been held at an Office of Refugee Resettlement youth shelter in The Bronx, according to news outlet THE CITY.
The city further argues that Camas poses no flight or safety risk, making detention unnecessary. Muriel Goode-Trufant, the city’s top attorney, stated, “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.”
However, federal authorities remain determined to deport Camas. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, Jay Clayton, also requested the judge to keep Camas detained pending his trial, emphasizing the government’s intention to reunite him with his mother in Ecuador.
Camas arrived from Ecuador in December 2022 with his mother, who self-deported earlier this year. She entrusted Joel to relatives in hopes he could build a better life. According to Camas’s lawsuit, both have had orders of removal against them since losing their asylum case in 2024—an appearance they made without legal representation.
Currently a junior at Gotham Collaborative High School in The Bronx, Camas maintains a perfect attendance record, as noted in the city’s supportive amicus brief. His teachers have described him as a “committed” student who is so motivated to learn English that “he refuses materials in his native language,” the filing states.
The city’s backing of Joel Camas highlights ongoing concerns about the treatment of immigrant students and the importance of access to education and services during immigration proceedings. Mayor Adams’s administration continues to champion these causes as part of its broader commitment to supporting New York City’s immigrant communities.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/11/us-news/city-throws-support-behind-bronx-student-detained-by-ice/