New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani erupted in outrage Monday after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a City Council employee during what officials said was a routine immigration court appearance, turning a standard enforcement action into yet another flashpoint for Democratic attacks on federal law enforcement.
The incident occurred on Long Island, where Mamdani quickly branded the detention an “assault on our democracy” in a post on X and demanded the employee’s immediate release—language more suited to a constitutional crisis than a routine immigration enforcement action.
The individual, reportedly a data analyst who has worked for the City Council for about a year, was later transferred to a detention facility in Manhattan.
And isn’t it just peachy to know that an illegal immigrant is handling data for America’s largest city?
“I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment,” the little commie mayor fumed. “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.”
I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment. This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 12, 2026
No, bro. An assault on democracy isn’t enforcing immigration law—it’s allowing a steady influx of criminal illegal aliens into the country while political leaders look the other way.
Oh, but speaking of being assaulted…
Department of Homeland Security officials said the City Council employee was in the United States illegally after entering on a B-2 tourist visa in 2017 and failing to depart as required. DHS said the individual was never granted legal authorization to remain or work in the country.
According to DHS, the employee also has a criminal history that includes an arrest for assault. The department did not release additional details about the charge.
“He had no legal right to be in the United States,” department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, according to ABC News. “Under Secretary [Kristi] Noem, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States. If you come to our country illegally and break our law, we will find you, and we will arrest you.”
City officials pushed back, insisting the employee was “doing everything right,” claiming he had work authorization valid through October and arguing there is no evidence the detention was based on anything beyond his immigration status.
In other words, the familiar refrain: the only thing he did wrong was be in the country illegally. As if violating federal immigration law—and working without lawful status in a government job—were some minor technicality rather than more than enough reason for ICE to step in.
Democrats, unsurprisingly, had no interest in hearing inconvenient details about the employee’s immigration status. And when it came to the reported assault arrest, there was even less appetite for comment.
Instead, the focus remained singular: immediate release, no questions asked.
“DHS confirmed that this employee had gone in for a routine court appointment and was nevertheless detained. They provided no other basis for his detainment,” NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin (D) said during a press briefing on Monday. “On the contrary, he was a city council employee who is doing everything right. He went to the court when he was asked.”
If he were truly “doing everything right,” he wouldn’t have overstayed his visa. He would have taken the required steps to remain in the country legally. Instead of indulging in performative outrage, Menin might want to spend her time figuring out how an alleged illegal alien with an arrest record ended up on the City Council payroll.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, also weighed in to express outrage over the data analyst’s detention, continuing the familiar pattern of Democratic officials attacking immigration enforcement while ignoring their culpability that made the situation possible in the first place by providing illegals “sanctuary.”
“This is exactly what happens when immigration enforcement is weaponized,” she wrote on X. “Detaining people during routine court appearances doesn’t make us safer. It erodes trust, spreads fear, and violates basic principles of fairness.”
Got that? Enforcement equals ‘weaponization.’ Being in the country illegally but ‘doing everything right’ is okay. This is the modern Democratic Party.
By the way, enforcement should be ‘weaponized’ and directed at people in the country illegally—especially those with a documented history of assault. That’s not controversial. That’s basic ‘Running a Major Country 101.’
The real assault on democracy isn’t ICE carrying out the law. It’s the brazen hypocrisy of New York City’s progressive elite, who melt down over every illegal alien detained by federal authorities while ignoring the reality that an illegal alien with an assault arrest on his record may have been quietly employed by the largest city government in the country.
Mamdani and Menin can scream about it all they want. The facts don’t change, and neither does the law.
