Speaker Menon announced at a council press conference that a city council employee identified in the transcript as Rafael was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a routine check‑in at a Bethpage facility on Monday.

"He was then detained by ICE at that routine check‑in," Speaker Menon said, and added that the council immediately notified the employee relations office and outside legal advocates. She said the council worked with NILAG and the New York Immigration Coalition and "we were able to file habeas for Rafael the exact same day he was detained." She reiterated, "He is currently in New York," and said the council is withholding further location details "to protect his safety." The speaker also said Rafael has since retained private legal representation.

The speaker criticized ICE's responsiveness, saying staff called the phone number listed for the Bethpage detention center but it was not working, and described the detention as part of broader federal enforcement practices. "If you go on to the website and try to reach the ICE detention in Bethpage, there is a phone number listed. If you call that phone number, it is not even working," she said.

The announcement emphasized the council's immediate actions but left several operational details unspecified in the transcript: the record does not provide a full timeline of legal filings beyond the same‑day habeas mention, the detention facility is only identified as the Bethpage ICE facility, and no court docket numbers or counsel names were provided.

Speaker Menon framed the council's response as driven by concern for the employee's safety and due process, saying the council "will keep fighting back against any tactics that seek to perpetuate the lack of transparency and the lack of due process." She also said Rafael "had all the requisite legal papers to be an employee of the city council and legally and lawfully work here." The transcript contains no independent documentation of Rafael's immigration status or paperwork beyond the speaker's statements.

The council said it coordinated with outside groups and elected officials, noting the involvement of "congress member Dan Goldman" at an earlier update. The speaker said an evening update was held with council members and other officials, but the transcript does not include further public detail on next legal steps.

Next steps: the council said it is continuing to work on the employee's safe return and is not disclosing additional information for safety reasons. No court filings, hearing dates or outcomes beyond the same‑day habeas filing were provided in the transcript.