New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was “outraged” after a City Council employee was detained by ICE during what officials described as a routine immigration appointment on Long Island.
Detained During Court Visit
According to City Council Speaker Julie Menin, the employee was taken into custody Monday in Bethpage, Nassau County, despite having legal authorization to remain in the U.S. until October. The council learned of the detention after the employee used his one phone call to contact the council’s human resources department.
City Officials Demand Release
Mamdani called the arrest “an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values,” and demanded the employee’s immediate release. Menin said DHS confirmed the worker attended a required court appointment and offered no further justification for the detention.
Lawmakers Push Back
Rep. Dan Goldman identified the employee as a Venezuelan-born, law-abiding immigrant with work authorization and said there was no indication the arrest was based on anything beyond immigration status. New York Attorney General Letitia James also called for the staffer’s release, pledging to oppose what she described as attacks on city workers and residents.
Ongoing Case
The employee, a data analyst who has worked for the council for about a year, has since been transferred to a detention facility in Manhattan as city and federal officials continue to press ICE for answers.
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