NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams encouraged asylum-seekers Tuesday to continue showing up for immigration court hearings, even as the city’s Law Department blasted President Trump’s administration for creating “a culture of fear” by using such proceedings as ICE hunting grounds for Trump’s “mass deportation” efforts.

Anxiety in New York’s immigrant communities has been heightened since last month, when ICE agents detained Dylan, a 20-year-old Bronx public school student from Venezuela, after he attended a routine hearing in Manhattan related to his asylum claim.

The detention of Dylan, whose last name’s being withheld at the request of his relatives who fear retaliation, is part of a broader national effort by Trump’s administration to ensnare immigrants in deportation roundups as they appear for routine court checkups.

Naveed Hasan, a New York City public school parent and immigration advocate, said it’s “absolutely not” realistic to think immigrants won’t be scared of going to court at the moment.

“Nobody can be certain what exactly is happening. It’s created an environment of fear and people hiding that has gone completely unaddressed,” he said.

That theme was a key element of an amicus brief filed Monday by the city Law Department in Dylan’s habeas corpus case, alleging his detention is unlawful. The brief excoriates Trump’s administration for “creating a culture of fear around court appearances” that “deters people from participating in judicial proceedings.”

Asked Tuesday afternoon at his weekly press briefing to elaborate on that filing and whether he believes immigrants should show up in court, Adams still encouraged new arrivals to appear for their routine proceedings.

“I don’t want people to be deterred from going to court, because if you deter people from following out the process, then you can create a level of people being fearful of our court system,” he said at City Hall. The mayor also affirmed his administration “will not and we have not collaborated with ICE on any civil enforcement.”

Pressed on what message he has for immigrants who are nonetheless scared amid the Trump administration’s targeted court crackdown, Adams said, “they should seek their counsel.”

“That’s what lawyers are for. They should seek their counsel, if someone is going to court, they should sit down with their counsel and be guided by their counsel on what actions they should take,” said Adams, who has faced pushback for declining to publicly criticize Trump.

Like many asylum-seekers in immigration court proceedings, Dylan wasn’t represented by a lawyer when he showed up at 26 Federal Plaza on May 21 for his routine check-in. Since then, the New York Legal Assistance Group has started representing Dylan on a pro bono basis.

In a statement, a rep for the assistance group said there must be a way for asylum-seekers to get “real protections” as they show up for hearings.

“Sadly, not everyone is able to have a NYLAG attorney available to prep them and be there to support them during their credible fear interviews like Dylan was fortunate enough to have,” the rep said.

Power Malu, a migrant advocate who has been in touch daily with Dylan’s family, said Adams’ administration should perhaps step in to provide such protections.

“If he is encouraging people to continue using public services and attending their court hearings, he should also have some protections in place so that people aren’t afraid of being punished for following the law,” Malu said.

Advocates have recently called on the city to invest $180 million in immigration legal services for families like Dylan’s.

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