In brief
Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a data analyst for the New York City Council, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly overstaying his tourist visa. City officials, including Council Speaker Julie Menin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, expressed outrage, asserting that Rubio Bohorquez was legally employed and his arrest represents a serious government overreach. Protests were held outside the Manhattan detention center where he is being held as advocates seek his immediate release, raising questions about immigration policies and enforcement.
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City Council employee was arrested in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, enraging city officials and prompting a protest outside the Manhattan detention center where he was being held. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez had long overstayed a tourist visa and “had no legal right to be in the United States.” City Council Speaker Julie Menin disputed this, stating that Rubio Bohorquez, a data analyst for the City Council, was legally authorized to work in the U.S. until October. Menin, a Democrat, noted that the council employee had signed a document as part of his employment confirming he had never been arrested and had cleared the standard background check conducted for all applicants. The New York Immigration Coalition and New York Legal Assistance Group filed a petition after Rubio Bohorquez’s arrest asking a court to order his release, Menin and Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., stated. “We are doing everything we can to secure his immediate release,” Menin said, calling the arrest “egregious government overreach.” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed his outrage, labeling the arrest “an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values.” Menin confirmed officials were trying to contact Rubio Bohorquez’s family and obtain the contact information for his immigration lawyer. Rubio Bohorquez, originally from Venezuela, was detained at an immigration appointment in Bethpage, Long Island, during what Menin described as a routine check-in that “quickly went awry.” According to ICE, he entered the U.S. in 2017 on a B2 tourist visa and was supposed to leave by October 22, 2017. He has been employed by the City Council for about a year, with a salary of approximately $129,315 per year. ICE stated that “He had no work authorization.” The agency emphasized that “criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.” Disputes over an immigrant’s work authorization have emerged before, particularly concerning the government system known as E-Verify, which matches employee information with records at Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. While experts find the system generally accurate in matching documents, it fails to notify employers if an employee's right to work is revoked after verification.
