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ICE arrests NYC council staffer during ‘routine immigration appointment,’ Mamdani calls it ‘assault on our democracy’
A City Council staffer was arrested while attending an appointment with immigration officials on Long Island. Zohran Mamdani called for his “immediate release.”
A City Council staffer was arrested while attending an appointment with immigration officials on Long Island Monday afternoon, January 12, Speaker Julie Menin said at a press conference, as reported by The City. Zohran Mamdani said he was “outraged” by the incident, and called for the person’s release.
The employee was detained by federal immigration officials during an immigration appointment in Bethpage, Nassau County. Menin said in a statement released by the New York City Council, “This afternoon, a City Council employee was detained by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment. He had legal authorization to remain in the country until October of this year. 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. Across the nation, we have seen aggressive escalations by ICE that raise serious concerns on the use of excessive force and a lack of accountability. As New Yorkers, we will stand up for the rights and dignity of every neighbor.”
Meanwhile, Mamdani said in a post on X, “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. 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.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote, “The @NYCCouncil staffer being detained by ICE must be released immediately. I just spoke with @SpeakerMenin to express my support for her staff. We will not stand for attacks on our city, its public servants, and its residents.”
What we know about the staffer who was detained
The staffer is from Venezuela, said Rep. Dan Goldman, who was also at the press conference, along with Council Members Shaun Abreu, Alexa Aviles and Harvey Epstein, and Murad Awawdeh, the president and CEO of The New York Immigration Coalition. He was allegedly detained and later moved to a cell in lower Manhattan after he went in for a “routine” appearance in Bethpage, Menin said.
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Menin further said that she spoke to the field office director of the Department of Homeland Security, who confirmed that the person went in for a routine appointment but was still detained. “They provided no other basis for his detainment,” she said. “On the contrary, he was a City Council employee who was doing everything right.”
Kristin Kepplinger, a spokesperson for the New York Legal Assistance Group, said that they are trying to file an emergency habeas petition on the behalf of the staffer.
