NYC Council data analyst detained by ICE after Trump administration ends Venezuelan protection program
Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, 53, was arrested Monday at an immigration facility on Long Island. City officials say he had legal work authorization; federal authorities dispute this claim.
January 13, 2026
A New York City Council data analyst was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Monday during a routine court appearance in Bethpage, Long Island, after the Trump administration ended a Biden-era legal protection program for Venezuelans.
Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, 53, a Venezuelan national employed by the Council since January 2025, was taken into custody at an immigration facility. He used his single phone call to contact the City Council Human Resources department to report his arrest, according to Council Speaker Julie Menin.
City officials said Bohorquez had legal authorization to remain and work in the United States through October as he pursued citizenship through the courts. Council Speaker Menin stated Monday night that the employee "was doing everything the right way" and called his detention "egregious government overreach." Mayor Zohran Mamdani characterized the arrest as "an attack against our democracy, our city and our values" and demanded the employee's immediate release.
The Department of Homeland Security presented a different account Tuesday. Officials identified Bohorquez as a "criminal illegal alien" with no legal authorization to remain or work in the United States. A DHS spokesperson said Bohorquez entered the country on a B2 tourist visa in 2017 and was required to depart by October 22, 2017. The department stated he has been in the country illegally since that date.
Bohorquez was arrested for third-degree assault causing physical injury in Queens in March 2023, but that charge was later expunged from his record, according to sources familiar with the matter. He passed a background check when he applied for his city government position last year, sources said.
The New York Legal Assistance Group filed a habeas petition on Bohorquez's behalf and is assessing what additional legal counsel he will need. City Council officials said Bohorquez was the first city council employee to be detained by the Trump administration.
Protesters gathered Tuesday afternoon at City Hall calling for his immediate release. City Council staffer Casey Lajszky said at the rally that Bohorquez "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."
Representative Dan Goldman and other Democratic elected officials joined Council Speaker Menin at a hastily called press conference Tuesday to express opposition to the detention. Governor Kathy Hochul referenced the case during her State of the State speech, questioning whether "an analyst with legal work authorization" should be detained.