New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other city leaders demanded the immediate release of a City Council staffer detained by ICE during a scheduled immigration appointment on Long Island. The employee, a Venezuelan-born data analyst with valid work authorization, was taken into custody and is being held in Lower Manhattan. City officials and the New York Legal Assistance Group are pursuing legal action, while state Attorney General Letitia James called for federal transparency and the staffer’s release.
NYC Mayor Mamdani Demands Immediate Release After ICE Detains City Council Staffer With Valid Work Authorization
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani in front of an American flag
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday called for the immediate release of a City Council staffer who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during what officials described as a routine immigration appointment.
According to Politico reporter Emily Ngo, the employee — a data analyst of Venezuelan descent — holds legal work authorization. City Council Speaker Julie Menin said the staffer was detained on Long Island while attending a scheduled immigration appointment; what was meant to be a routine court appearance "quickly went awry," and the individual was taken into custody and transferred to an immigration detention facility.
“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,” Menin said, declining to name the employee to protect his identity. She added that the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the staffer had attended the scheduled appointment but provided no other basis for the detention.
Mamdani posted on social media that he was "outraged" by the detention in Nassau County and called it "an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values." He demanded the staffer’s immediate release and said city officials would continue to monitor the situation.
The New York Legal Assistance Group, a legal services organization, is preparing a habeas corpus petition to challenge the detention, a spokesperson told reporters. The New York Post reported the employee’s work visa is valid through October and that the staffer is being held at a detention center in Lower Manhattan. Menin said she was unable to reach the staffer directly; Council staffers first learned of the detention when the individual used the one permitted phone call after being detained to contact the Council’s human resources department.
New York Attorney General Letitia James echoed Mamdani’s call for the staffer to be released immediately, saying she had spoken with Menin to offer support. “We will not stand for attacks on our city, its public servants, and its residents,” James said.
City leaders are urging federal transparency about the reasons for the detention as they pursue legal avenues to secure the staffer’s release.
Help us improve.
