Trump's immigration officials arrest NYC council's Venezuelan staffer; Mamdani 'outraged' — Here's what happened
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump's immigration officials arrest NYC council's Venezuelan staffer; Mamdani 'outraged' — Here's what happened")
US President Donald Trump and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Photograph: (AFP)
A Venezuelan NYC Council employee was detained by ICE during a routine immigration appointment, triggering outrage from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Council Speaker Julie Menin. The arrest comes amid Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown following US military action in Venezuela.
A Venezuelan employee of the New York City Council has been detained by US immigration authorities on Monday (Jan 13), according to Julie Menin, the newly elected Council speaker. The staff member has not publicly identified, but she served as a data analyst in NYC Council. Denouncing the arrest by US president Donald Trump's immigration officials, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he is “outraged.” Council speaker Menin added that the arrested employee was “victim of egregious government overreach.”
Also Read: Minneapolis ICE shooting: Federal agent shoots and kills woman amid immigration crackdown
According to reports, the man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials during a routine immigration appointment on Long Island. Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants is a part its larger anti-immigration rhetoric and the latest arrest comes after US strike on Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. The Department of Homeland Security, has not responded on the incident.
How Mamdani reacted?
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “This is an assault on our democracy, on our city and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.” Menin added, “He, in fact, signed an attestation in January at the City Council that he’s never been arrested. This man chose to work for the Council on behalf of the public, on behalf of New Yorkers, and despite every indication that he was doing everything the right way, he still found himself a victim of egregious government overreach.”
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US vs Venezuela
As the year 2026 began, Trump ordered the US military to launch Operation Absolute Resolve. It was a direct US intervention in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicholas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their compound in Caracas. Maduro and Flores were flown to New York City and charged with narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. They pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan federal court. Trump declared that he will ‘run’ Venezuela. Meanwhile, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as Venezuela's acting president. While she denounced the capture of Maduro, her government has since begun releasing some political prisoners as a gesture toward “consolidating peace.”
