ICE arrest of NYC Council staffer prompts official backlash

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A City Council staffer’s Monday arrest at an immigration appointment sparked backlash from some of the city’s top elected officials.

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin confirmed agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez on Monday.

The federal government says the Venezuelan national was in the country illegally after a tourist visa expired in 2017, but Council Speaker Julie Menin, a Democrat representing Manhattan’s Upper East Side, said Bohorquez is authorized to be here until October.

“This afternoon, a City Council employee was detained by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment,” Menin said Monday evening. “We are doing everything we can to secure his immediate release, and we demand swift and transparent action by the federal government on this apparent overreach. Across the nation, we have seen aggressive escalations by ICE that raise serious concerns on the use of excessive force and a lack of accountability. As New Yorkers, we will stand up for the rights and dignity of every neighbor.”

In later comments to the New York Times, Menin’s staff told the paper Bohorquez was in the country on Temporary Protected Status, a humanitarian program that President Donald Trump’s administration has ended since taking office.

McLaughlin also said Bohorquez had been arrested for assault since being in the country, but did not provide further details.

Bohorquez’ immigration arrest, which occurred at a Long Island courthouse, has led to condemnations from some of the city’s top officials.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for the arrestee’s immediate release, and wrote in a Monday post on the X social media platform that his office is monitoring the situation.

“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,” he said. “This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values.”