A New York Metropolis Council worker from Venezuela was detained by ICE brokers Monday — though he has standing to be within the U.S. legally, in response to Council Speaker Julie Menin.
The worker, whose title is being withheld, was whisked away by ICE whereas at a routine immigration appointment Monday morning in Bethpage, Nassau County, Menin stated.
His detention got here although he has no legal report and is on a piece visa that enables him to remain within the U.S. at the least by October, in response to Council officers. He’s being held at an ICE detention facility on Varick St. in downtown Manhattan.
Attorneys with the New York Authorized Help Group deliberate to file a habeas corpus criticism by Tuesday for the Council staffer, in response to a supply conversant in the matter. The person has a separate immigration lawyer, however the Council’s makes an attempt to achieve that lawyer, in addition to the person’s household, had been unsuccessful, Menin stated.
“We’ve seen aggressive escalations by ICE that threaten the freedom and safety of every American,” Menin stated at a press convention concerning the detainment. “These escalations raise serious concerns about overreach, about the use of excessive force and about the lack of accountability. As New Yorkers, we will stand up for the rights of every single neighbor and for the dignity that they deserve.”
Council Speaker Julie Menin Holds Press Avail at Metropolis Corridor
Mayor Mamdani, who spoke with Menin concerning the matter earlier than the speaker’s press convention, echoed her sentiment.
“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 in a submit 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.”
ICE’s press workplace didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
In line with Menin, the Council worker has labored as a knowledge analyst on the Council’s central employees for a couple of yr. Manhattan Congressman Dan Goldman, who joined Menin at her press convention at Metropolis Corridor, stated the worker is from Venezuela.
The worker’s detention is a part of a broader effort by President Trump’s administration besides tens of millions of immigrants, each documented and undocumented, out of the U.S. beneath his pledged “mass deportation” marketing campaign.
Outrage over Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown escalated final week, when an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, an American citizen, in Minneapolis after they claimed she was obstructing their operations.
“We will continue to push for not only this person’s release, which is so obviously necessary, but for this immigration dragnet to stop, and it is unacceptable and un-American, and we have to continue to raise our voices and to make sure that this stops,” Goldman stated.
That is the primary time a Council staffer has been detained by ICE, in response to Menin.
