City Council leaders, lawmakers demand release after ICE detains council staffer

Speaker Menon announced that federal immigration officials detained a New York City Council staffer after the staffer attended a routine court appearance in Bethpage, Long Island, and said the employee was later transferred to a detention facility on Varick Street.

The council leader said the staffer, who works as a data analyst in central staff and has been employed about a year, called the council after being detained and was given one call. "He was given, I wanna be clear, 1 call, and he called the city council for help," Menon said, and council offices have been trying to reach the staffer’s immigration attorney and family.

Why it matters: Elected leaders at the event framed the case as a transparency and accountability failure by federal authorities and said it highlights a broader shift in enforcement tactics. Rep. Dan Goldman, who attended the news event, said he has introduced legislation to bar ICE from making arrests at courts or check-ins and urged immediate action to stop the staffer’s deportation.

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