A New York City Council staffer was hauled away by ICE officials when he showed up to a routine court check-in at a Long Island immigration center Monday, Big Apple leaders said as feds labeled the employee a “criminal” in the US illegally.  

Council Speaker Julie Menin called the detainment of the employee, a Venezuelan national, “egregious government overreach” during a Monday evening press conference, claiming he had a work visa good through October.

But a top Department of Homeland Security spokesperson rebuked that assertion later Monday night, describing the Council data analyst as a “criminal illegal alien” who should have been out of the country years ago.

The staffer, who was identified by the federal government as Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, 53, is currently in a lower Manhattan detention center as local officials called for his release.

His court appointment “quickly went awry” in Bethpage, leading to his detainment and later transfer to the Manhattan facility, said Menin, an Upper East Side Democrat.

Rubio Bohorquez is a data analyst and has worked in city government for about a year, according to the Council speaker.

“Despite every indication that he was doing everything the right way, he still found himself the victim of egregious government overreach,” she argued, calling the feds’ actions “unacceptable.”

She said she was unable to reach the immigration facility where he was detained, but spoke with the Department of Homeland Security.

“DHS confirmed this employee had gone in for a routine court appointment and was nevertheless detained,” Menin said. “They provided no other basis for his detainment.”

The staffer signed an attestation in January that he has never been arrested, according to Menin, but DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said Rubio Bohorquez has a criminal history, including for assault.

The Venezuelan national entered the US on a B2 tourist visa in 2017 and was supposed to leave the country by Oct. 22, 2017, McLaughlin said, adding that he didn’t have work authorization.

“He had no legal right to be in the United States,” she said in a statement.

“Under [DHS] 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.”

It’s not uncommon for federal agents to take migrants into custody during routine appointments at immigration courthouses, including in Manhattan, under the second Trump administration.

City leaders became aware of the  Rubio Bohorquez’s arrest when he used his one call after detainment to phone the Council’s human resources department, Menin said.

Big Apple officials roundly criticized federal authorities for his arrest and demanded he be freed before DHS issued its statement.

“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,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on X.

“I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.”

House Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Manhattan) argued federal authorities are going after the “easiest prey they can find.”

“And that is the people who are going to court and going to their check-ins,” he said at Monday’s press conference.

Rubio Bohorquez’s detainment comes amid rising tension between ICE and Democratic lawmakers over the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis anti-ICE protester by a federal officer. An ICE agent opened fire on Renee Nicole Good after the Trump administration alleged she tried to “weaponize” her SUV and clipped the officer while turning her wheel away. 

Menin, at Monday’s press conference, said the Council staffer has an immigration lawyer and city officials are trying to reach his family as New York Democrats voiced their support for the employee. 

“This is someone who is working to make his city better, is here with legal status, did the right thing and showed up for his immigration appointment,” City Comptroller Mark Levine said in a statement.

“An absolute outrage. He must be released immediately.”

New York State Attorney General Letitia James also called for the release of the staffer.

“We will not stand for attacks on our city, its public servants, and its residents,” she tweeted.