Overview
- U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel ordered Joel Camas immediately released from an ORR youth facility into a relative’s custody, allowing him to continue his immigration case outside detention.
- ICE detained the Gotham Collaborative High School junior on Oct. 23 after directing him from a check-in at 26 Federal Plaza to Varick Street Immigration Court and transferring him the same day to ORR.
- Joel holds Special Immigrant Juvenile status and a Bronx Family Court ruling that returning him to Ecuador is not in his best interest, with a pathway to permanent residency pending.
- NYCLU and The Door argued the arrest was unlawful as City Hall filed an amicus brief citing harm to his education, and the judge pressed federal lawyers over their stance, calling it “Orwellian or Kafkaesque,” according to court reporting.
- Attorneys say the case reflects a wider pattern, citing HHS data that roughly 2,000 children have been held in ORR custody since President Trump took office, with volunteers reporting more out-of-view detentions at ICE appointments.