NYC Council Demands Release of Staffer Detained by ICE

NYC Council Staffer Detained by ICE

• 🏛️ New York City Council members are protesting the arrest of a city council staffer by federal immigration agents (ICE).
• 🗓️ The staffer, originally from Venezuela, was detained on Monday during a routine immigration appointment in Nassau County.

Conflicting Claims on Status

• 📄 City Council Speaker Julie Menin states the staffer had authorization to live and work in the US until October and had no prior arrests.
• 🚨 Conversely, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Trisha Mclofflin claims the staffer has a criminal history, including an assault arrest, and entered on a B2 tourist visa in 2017, with a required departure by October of that year.
• ⚖️ The staffer reportedly passed a background check to work at City Hall.

Calls for Release and Legal Action

• ✊ Council members and protesters rallied outside the ICE field office in lower Manhattan, demanding the staffer's release.
• 🗣️ Governor Kathy Hochul criticized ICE's actions as a violation of trust and fairness.
• 📜 Speaker Menin and Congressman Dan Goldman are working to file an emergency habeas corpus petition to challenge the detainment in court.
• 📅 A hearing has been set for January 16th regarding the case.