New York Governor Kathy Hochul has publicly denounced the arrest of a New York City Council staffer by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in her State of the State address, decrying what she called an "assault on our democracy." Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, the data analyst from Venezuela, was taken into detention despite having obtained legal authorization to live and work in the US until October 2026. However, ICE claims that he did not have valid work authorization or a legitimate immigration status due to overstay of his tourist visa in 2017.
The Governor's comments follow those of other high-profile officials, including City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and State Attorney General Letitia James, who have all called for Bohorquez's immediate release. The City Council has rallied around the staffer, with more than two dozen members demanding his release in a rally outside an ICE office.
Bohorquez had been hired by the Council just before January 2025, when he was eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which the Trump administration announced it would revoke for Venezuelans. According to immigration officials, Bohorquez's work authorization expired in February, but City officials claim that he provided documentation showing his valid status.
Lawyers from the New York Legal Assistance Group have filed a habeas petition on Bohorquez's behalf, highlighting concerns about his detention and treatment. President of the City Council staffer union Matthew Molloy stated, "Just like all of us, he wants to make this city work... So we want to make sure that he comes home."
Hochul's comments underscore the growing concern over ICE detentions targeting immigrant workers in New York, with many officials calling for stricter protections and reform.
The Governor's comments follow those of other high-profile officials, including City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and State Attorney General Letitia James, who have all called for Bohorquez's immediate release. The City Council has rallied around the staffer, with more than two dozen members demanding his release in a rally outside an ICE office.
Bohorquez had been hired by the Council just before January 2025, when he was eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which the Trump administration announced it would revoke for Venezuelans. According to immigration officials, Bohorquez's work authorization expired in February, but City officials claim that he provided documentation showing his valid status.
Lawyers from the New York Legal Assistance Group have filed a habeas petition on Bohorquez's behalf, highlighting concerns about his detention and treatment. President of the City Council staffer union Matthew Molloy stated, "Just like all of us, he wants to make this city work... So we want to make sure that he comes home."
Hochul's comments underscore the growing concern over ICE detentions targeting immigrant workers in New York, with many officials calling for stricter protections and reform.
so like kathy hochul is talkin about this dude rafael bein detained by ice and shes freakin out big time lol she's all like assualt on our democracy and im over here thinkin the same thing 
i mean who gives a guy a green card and then takes it away from him because of some tiny technicality 
he had valid docs and everythin but ice is all "nope" 
and now the whole city is on his side 
2 dozen council members are out protesting and lawyers are filing petitions and its like they cant even touch this guy 
i wish we could just give him a hug and be done with it 
but noooo ice has to make everything complicated 
. ICE is basically treating him like a number instead of a human being. I mean, come on, he's got the papers to prove his status, so why are they still detaining him? It's not cool, especially with all these high-profile officials speaking out against this. The City Council's rally was super encouraging to see, though - it shows we care about our community members 
. I think Hochul's right to call this an "assault on democracy" - when the system fails people like Bohorquez, it affects everyone else too 
I mean, who doesn't love a good drama fest? "Assault on our democracy"? Wow, sounds like a real thing to me... Meanwhile, Rafael's just trying to do his job and pay his bills on time 
Guess who gets to decide what's "valid" work authorization? Not exactly the most nuanced or fair system, if you ask me 
it just shows how messed up the system can be sometimes...what are we gonna do about it tho? 
i guess we'll just keep showing our support for people like rafael 
and hope that our leaders will listen up 
: 44% of undocumented immigrants in detention are actually eligible for TPS 
. And did you know that since Trump announced TPS revocation in 2017, Venezuelan asylum seekers like Rafael have been living in limbo? 
The City Council has over $10 million in funding for immigrant services but still, cases like this keep happening 
... what's the plan to address these systemic issues? 
, like, they're taking this guy into detention who's got a legit visa and everything... it's just crazy 
. And now the Governor is weighing in, saying it's an "assault on our democracy"... I mean, come on, Kathy, you can't just sit there 
, something needs to be done about this! The City Council is all like, "Hey, let him go!" and I'm like, yaaas, yeah, let him go too 
. It's just not right that some guy gets detained 'cause of a tiny mistake in 2017... what even is that? 
Anyway, I hope this guy gets released ASAP and can get back to work 
.