New York City formally joined the legal battle to free Joel Camas, a 16-year-old Bronx high school student who remains in ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody, by filing a court brief in support of his petition for release.
Joel, a student at Gotham Collaborative High School, dreamed of becoming a certified mechanic. However, he was detained during a routine appointment with ICE in October, despite having approved special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS) and a path to permanent residence, according to court documents.
The young man, originally from Ecuador, arrived in New York with his mother at the end of 2022 and lives with relatives. He began the process in Bronx Family Court in May 2024 after his father abandoned him. In December 2024, a judge determined that it was not in his interest to return to Ecuador and that he should remain in the United States under the protection provided by his status as a vulnerable minor.
Joel’s attorneys say he complied with all government requirements by appearing with an attorney at his scheduled appointment with ICE on October 23 at 26 Federal Plaza.
“Instead of returning to his second-period history class,” his lawyers explain, Joel was taken to the Varick Street Immigration Court, where he was detained without warning or individualized explanation, and that same day he was transferred to an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) custody center in the Bronx, where he remains detained.
Although his deportation order is stayed by a judge in his habeas corpus case, Joel remains in ORR custody.
Family context
Four weeks before Joel’s arrest, his mother, Elvia Chafla, showed up for her own appointment with ICE in Manhattan. Since July 2025 he was under an intensive supervision program, with an electronic shackle, and met all requirements. During her appointment on September 22, officers told her that Joel should report the following month. Trusting that his voluntary departure from the country would improve his son’s situation, he returned to Ecuador on September 27. She understood that Joel, with his approved path to permanent residency, could stay in the US, while she could not.
City special interest
In documents filed Monday, city officials argued that Joel’s detention disrupts his education and affects the stability of local schools. The city stressed that it has a special interest in ensuring that immigrant students can access public education without interruption, noting that prolonged detention harms both the student and their peers and teachers.
The report highlights that Joel has perfect attendance, actively participates in school programs and is a member of The Door, an organization that provides legal, educational and professional support to young people. His teachers describe him as a responsible, committed student who is eager to learn English, to the point of rejecting materials in his native language.
Joel is also a leader in his College and Career Readiness class and is working toward his goal of becoming a certified mechanic.
His attorney, Beth Baltimore of The Door’s Legal Services Center, emphasized that Joel poses no threat to public safety and has complied with all conditions imposed by ICE. In addition, he noted that Joel has no criminal record, except for his initial arrest when entering the country with his mother to request asylum. Baltimore urged the agency to stay his deportation and allow him to stay in the city while he continues the process toward permanent residency.
Baltimore highlighted the potential harms of deportation, noting that sending him back would permanently block his access to protections specifically created by Congress for children like him, and undermine the purpose of the SIJS law.
Mayor’s support
Mayor Eric Adams expressed his support after presenting the report:
“Our public schools should be safe and welcoming places where any child can receive the best education and the tools necessary to succeed. Joel is a hard-working student, dedicated to his studies and his future, who correctly followed the immigration process. We are proud to support his call for justice, as we have done with other New York public school students who have been detained during routine immigration processes.”
ICE and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
