![\"Speaker](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nyc-council-employee-arrested-detained-118806516.jpg\")
Council Speaker Julie Menin said the NYC Council employee is a victim of \u201cegregious government overreach.\u201d New York City Council<\/p>\nA New York City Council staffer was hauled away by ICE officials when he showed up to a routine court check-in at a Long Island immigration center Monday, a Big Apple official said.<\/p>\n
The employee, a Venezuelan national, is now in custody at a federal detention center in lower Manhattan \u2013 despite holding a work visa that allows him to stay in the country until October, Council Speaker Julie Menin said during a Monday evening press conference.<\/p>\n
The unidentified staffer was doing \u201ceverything right\u201d when the court appointment \u201cquickly went awry\u201d in Bethpage, leading to the detainment and later transfer to the Manhattan facility, Menin, a Democrat, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Council Speaker Julie Menin said the NYC Council employee is a victim of \u201cegregious government overreach.\u201d New York City Council<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite every indication that he was doing everything the right way, he still found himself the victim of egregious government overreach,\u201d she said, calling the feds\u2019 actions \u201cunacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The employee\u2019s detainment prompted various city leaders, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, to call for his freedom. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment. This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values,\u201d he\u00a0said on X.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n The worker is a data analyst and has worked in city government for about a year, according to Menin.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Council speaker didn\u2019t reveal more information about the staffer to protect his identity.<\/p>\n She said she was unable to reach the immigration facility where\u00a0he was detained, but spoke with the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n \u201cDHS confirmed this employee had gone in for a routine court appointment and was nevertheless detained,\u201d Menin said. \u201cThey provided no other basis for his detainment.\u201d<\/p>\n 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. This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The staffer signed an attestation in January that he has never been arrested, Menin said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will stand up for the right over every single neighbor,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n An email to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not immediately returned.<\/p>\n City leaders became aware of the situation after the staffer used his one call after detainment to call the Council\u2019s human resources department.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not uncommon for federal agents to take migrants into custody during routine appointments at immigration courthouses, including in Manhattan, under the second Trump administration.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no indication other than his immigration status that caused him to be arrested,\u201d said House Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Manhattan.)<\/p>\n He argued the federal government would work quickly to deport the staffer back\u00a0 to Venezuela, a nation in turmoil after its leader,\u00a0Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, was captured by US forces and brought to New York to face a federal drug indictment.<\/p>\n Goldman argued federal authorities are going after the \u201ceasiest prey they can find.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that is the people who are going to court and going to their check-ins,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The detainment comes amid rising tension between ICE and Democratic lawmakers\u00a0over the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis anti-ICE protester by a federal officer.<\/a><\/p>\n An ICE agent opened fire on Renee Nicole Good after the Trump administration alleged she tried to \u201cweaponize\u201d her SUV and clipped the officer while turning her wheel away.\u00a0<\/p>\n Menin, at Monday\u2019s press conference, said the Council staffer has an immigration lawyer and city officials are trying to reach his family as New York Democrats voiced their support for the employee.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is someone who is working to make his city better, is here with legal status, did the right thing and showed up for his immigration appointment,\u201d City Comptroller Mark Levine said\u00a0in a statement.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAn absolute outrage. He must be released immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n New York State Attorney General Letitia James\u00a0also called<\/a>\u00a0for the release of the staffer.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not stand for attacks on our city, its public servants, and its residents,\u201d she tweeted.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t