According to DHS<\/a>, the employee, Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, 53, is a “criminal illegal alien” from Venezuela. The agency said that despite Rubio Bohorquez being employed by the city council of America\u2019s largest city, he has no work authorization and was illegally employed.<\/p>\n Further, DHS said that Rubio Bohorquez has a criminal history, including an arrest for assault in New York.<\/p>\n Rubio Bohorquez entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa in 2017, which required him to depart the same year, according to DHS.<\/p>\n NOEM SAYS ZOHRAN MAMDANI COULD BE ‘VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION’ WITH ADVICE ON EVADING ICE AGENTS<\/a><\/p>\n DHS said the New York City Council employee it arrested, Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, is a Venezuelan illegal immigrant with a criminal history.\u00a0 (DHS)<\/p>\n DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the fact that “a criminal illegal alien with no authorization” was employed by the New York City<\/a> Council “shocking.”<\/p>\n “This takes sanctuary city<\/a> to a whole new level,” said McLaughlin.<\/p>\n “This criminal illegal alien<\/a> has no authority to be in the U.S. and has a previous arrest for assault. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the United States is no longer a safe haven for criminals.”<\/p>\n Mamdani and other city leaders demanded the man’s release on Monday.<\/p>\n “I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials<\/a> at a routine immigration appointment,” Mamdani wrote in a statement on X.<\/p>\n DHS DEMANDS LETITIA JAMES TAKE ACTION OVER NEW YORK’S REFUSAL TO HONOR ICE DETAINERS<\/a><\/p>\n New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was elected in November 2025 and sworn in as the city’s first socialist mayor Jan. 1, 2026.\u00a0 (Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n He called the arrest “an assault on our democracy, on our city and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.”<\/p>\n New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin held a news conference demanding the employee’s release Monday. She claimed the employee had been cleared to remain in the U.S. until October 2026.<\/p>\n DHS, however, maintains that he has no authorization to even be in the U.S.<\/p>\n “DHS confirmed that this employee had gone in for a routine court appointment and was nevertheless detained. They provided no other basis for his detainment,” Menin said during a press briefing Monday. “On the contrary, he was a city council employee who is doing everything right. He went to the court when he was asked.”<\/p>\n NOEM REPORTS MAMDANI, DHS TALKS HAVE ‘NOT BEEN PRODUCTIVE,’ SAYS NYC MAYOR ‘CHOSE TO STAND WITH ILLEGALS’<\/a><\/p>\n New York AG Letitia James with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. (Getty)<\/p>\n Menin said the employee works as a data analyst and has held the job for roughly one year.<\/p>\n![\"Rafael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/rafael-andres-rubio-bohorquez.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Mayor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768440550_881_mamdani.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Mamdani](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/letitia-james-zohran-mamdani.jpg\")
<\/p>\n