Courts and Legal Process

An immigration judge identified as Judge Conroy has ordered the removal of Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a 53‑year‑old Venezuelan former New York City Council data analyst, after federal officials detained him at a January immigration appointment and labeled him a "criminal illegal alien" who overstayed a 2017 B‑2 tourist visa. City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are denouncing the decision as a "miscarriage of justice," insisting Rubio had legal authorization to remain and work in the United States until October 2026 and arguing the ruling turns on a technical, missing‑signature error in his asylum paperwork that he was never allowed to fix. DHS maintains he lacked lawful status and work authorization, while Menin says the judge’s decision "appears to hinge on a procedural issue" rather than any public‑safety risk, and Rubio has now been held in immigration detention for months despite voluntarily appearing for his appointment. City leaders say they will file an appeal by an April 17 deadline and are publicly demanding his release from detention while that challenge proceeds, turning the case into another flashpoint in the fight over due process in the asylum system and over how aggressively federal authorities pursue removals of local government employees. The standoff underscores widening friction between New York’s political leadership and the Trump administration’s DHS over the definitions of lawful presence, work authorization, and what counts as a "criminal" immigrant in high‑profile enforcement cases.