US EditionICE detains NYC Council employee at routine immigration appointment
A NYC Council data analyst of Venezuelan descent was detained by ICE during a routine appointment despite valid work authorization, prompting legal action and public condemnation.
- On Monday, a New York City Council employee of Venezuelan descent was detained by ICE during a routine immigration appointment in Bethpage and is held at the Varick Street ICE detention facility in Manhattan.
- DHS field officials confirmed the pickup but provided no other basis for the detention, while Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker, said he has legal authorization to work through October 2026.
- City staffers learned the employee had been detained after he used his one phone call to reach the City Council human resources department, and the New York Legal Assistance Group planned to file a habeas corpus petition by Tuesday.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Letitia James demanded the employee's immediate release, with Julie Menin saying, 'We are doing everything in our power to secure his immediate release'.
- Menin noted this is the first time a council staffer has been detained by immigration officials, amid nationwide outrage after Renee Good's killing prompting lawmakers to weigh limits on ICE cooperation.
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96 Articles
NYC protests increasingly dangerous ICE encounters and deportation tactics
Increasingly frequent and even deadly U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and “kidnappings” during immigration hearings are causing growing weariness among New Yorkers. On January 12, 2026, an undisclosed Venezuelan City Council staff member was picked up by ICE in Bethpage, Nassau County, at a routine immigration appointment. “He had legal authorization to remain in the country until October of this year,” confirmed City Council…
An employee of the New York City Council arrested during the Trump administration's immigration offensive is an asylum seeker from Venezuela, according to a judicial petition seeking his release. Rafael Andrés Rubio Bohórquez was arrested on Monday at a scheduled immigration check, which angered the city's leaders and attracted protesters on Tuesday to the Manhattan federal building where he is being held. U.S. Immigration and Customs Service sa…
Mamdani Furious After Staffer Detained by ICE
Mamdani Furious After Staffer Detained by ICE A New York City council staffer was detained by federal immigration agents after authorities say he overstayed a 2017 tourist visa and was tied to an assault case. The arrest happened during a routine immigration appointment in Nassau County. Mayor Zohran Mamdani responded fast. He called the detention an attack on the city and its values. He demanded the staffer’s release and promised to keep watchi…
Zohran Mamdani Goes Ballistic After ICE Discovers Sanctuary City Of NYC Government Employing Illegal Alien, Detains Him - The American Tribune.com
On January 12, 2026, DHS/ICE detained Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a 53-year-old Venezuelan New York City Council data analyst, during a routine immigration appointment in Nassau County. Explaining the arrest, DHS declared that he overstayed a 2017 tourist visa, lacked work authorization, and had a prior assault arrest, justifying the custody as targeting a “criminal illegal alien.” The arrest sparked outrage from NYC leaders, including Mayor …
REPORT: Zohran Mamdani 'Outraged' After NYC Council Staffer is Detained by ICE for Overstaying Visa and Alleged Assault
Zohran Mamdani – Screencap of Twitter/X video. A staffer for New York City’s city council was recently detained by federal agents because he overstayed his Visa and is accused of assault and Mayor Zohran Mamdani is spitting mad about this. Mamdani is angry for the same reason that people like Ilhan Omar are mad about ICE and deportations. They’re mad because these are the people that they actually see as their constituents. Not the American peop…
Mayor Zohran Mamdani Slams ICE After NYC Council Staffer Is Detained
Source: Michael M. Santiago / Getty New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was outraged Monday after learning that a city council staff member had been detained by federal immigration officers earlier that day. “I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment,” Mamdani wrote on the social platform X. “This is an assault on our democracy, on ou…
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