NYC Council employee detained on Long Island released from Delaney Hall after months in ICE custody
“I thought that it was a done deal for me, I thought that my life and my dreams were over. And what happened since is a miracle that I still can’t quite believe,” said Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez.
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A New York City Council employee who was detained on Long Island and ordered to be deported to Venezuela has been released from Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, after spending more than five months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a data analyst for the New York City Council, was detained on Jan. 12 during a routine asylum interview in Bethpage, Long Island.
His arrest sparked protests, a petition, and public debate among political leaders and immigration officials.
“I thought that it was a done deal for me, I thought that my life and my dreams were over. And what happened since is a miracle that I still can’t quite believe,” Bohorquez said. “I’m free because of the care and determination of Speaker Menin and my attorneys at Bronx Defenders. And I want to thank the Council for their tireless advocacy on behalf of immigrants and for fighting for laws and funding that improve outcomes for immigrants.”
Immigration officials previously said Bohorquez overstayed a tourist visa, had a prior arrest for assault, and “had no legal right to be in the United States.”
City Council Speaker Julie Menin disputed that characterization, saying Bohorquez had Temporary Protected Status as a Venezuelan national, valid through October of this year. A habeas petition was then filed to keep him in New York.
On March 18, an immigration judge ordered Bohorquez deported. Days later, a judge denied the habeas petition, and he was transferred from a New York detention facility to Delaney Hall.
In early April, Bohorquez changed legal representation to The Bronx Defenders, the nation’s first public defender program for detained immigrants, which was launched with funding from the City Council.
On May 27, an immigration judge granted Bohorquez asylum, allowing him to live and work in the United States indefinitely, with a pathway to permanent residency.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson released the following statement:
“On January 12, 2026, ICE arrested Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and an employee of New York’s City Council. His criminal history includes an arrest for assault. He had no work authorization and his TPS had been terminated.
Rubio entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa in 2017 that required him to depart the U.S. by October 22, 2017. He overstayed his visa in violation of our laws.
He was ordered released by an Obama-appointed, activist judge on June 19, 2026, on bond. He’s additionally been enrolled in ATD for check-ins. We will do everything in our power to fight for the removal of this criminal illegal alien. He will receive full due process.”
