NYC Mayor Mamdani calls for release of city employee who was detained by ICE

WASHINGTON (TNND) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday night called for the release of an employee who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

He said the detainment of the employee was an “assault on our democracy.”

“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,” he wrote on X.

“This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.”

Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, 53, was detained Monday during an immigration appointment.

The Department of Homeland Security said he was detained for overstaying a 2017 tourist visa and that he was arrested in an assault case.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said it was justified that Bohorguez was taken.

“He had no legal right to be in the United States,” McLaughlin said, according to Fox News.

“Under Secretary Noem, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States. If you come to our country illegally and break our law, we will find you, and we will arrest you.”

However, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin said that Bohorguez was supposed to remain in the U.S. until October 2026.

“DHS confirmed that this employee had gone in for a routine court appointment and was nevertheless detained,” she said during a press briefing on Monday. “They provided no other basis for his detainment.”