Protesters call for release of New York City Council data analyst detained by ICE
"This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values," Mamdani said.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A fired up crowd rallied Tuesday afternoon to call for the immediate release of a City Council employee from ICE custody.
The detained employee works as a data analyst at City Hall. Homeland Security officials identified him as Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a 53-year-old immigrant from Venezuela.
City Council officials say he was legally allowed to stay in the country through October as he worked through the courts to become a citizen.
"He was one of our brothers, he worked for the Council, he worked to better our city and it's unfair that he was just taken, trying to do the right thing," said City Council staffer Casey Lajszky.
But the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration no longer recognizes his status and claims he has been in the U.S. illegally since 2017.
"Rubio entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa in 2017," said a department spokesperson. "That required him to depart the U.S by October 22, 2017."
His supporters disagree. Like so many other immigrants, Rubio Bohorquez was granted Temporary Protected Status by the previous administration. They claim that President Trump's attempts to revoke that status remain in dispute.
"We saw an American citizen shot and killed by ICE in the past week, we saw a government employee kidnaped by ICE, this is all of our problem," said Councilmember Chi Ajani Ossé.
Authorities maintain Rubio Bohorquez has a previous arrest for assault, but councilmembers say he signed a statement claiming he had never been arrested.
On Tuesday the president vowed to punish cities that stand up to ICE.
"Starting February 1st, we're not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens," Trump said. "It breeds fraud, crime and all of the other problems."
New York City councilmembers say they're determined to fight back.
"He is trying to punish our city, simply and specifically trying to punish people who are not white, it has to end," said Councilmember Sandy Nurse.
Rubio Bohorquez has been transferred to a detention center on Varick Street in Manhattan.
A habeas hearing has been scheduled for Friday before Judge John Cronan in federal court at 500 Pearl Street. The government will not be able to move him from the state until that hearing takes place.
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