NYC Council employee’s arrest sparks protests and a dispute over his immigration status

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City Council employee was arrested in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, enraging city officials and drawing protesters Tuesday to the Manhattan detention center where he was being held.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez had long overstayed a tourist visa, had once been arrested for assault, and “had no legal right to be in the United States.”

City Council Speaker Julie Menin disputed that, telling reporters that Rubio Bohorquez, a data analyst for the city legislative body, was legally authorized to work in the U.S. until October.

Menin, a Democrat, said the council employee signed a document as part of his employment confirming that he had never been arrested and cleared the standard background check conducted for all applicants.

The New York Immigration Coalition and New York Legal Assistance Group filed a petition after Rubio Bohorquez's arrest Monday asking a court to order his release, Menin and Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said in a statement.

ICE confirmed Rubio Bohorquez’s name. Menin and Goldman referred to him only as a council employee. She said she was doing so to protect his identity.

“We are doing everything we can to secure his immediate release,” Menin said at a Monday evening news conference. She decried the arrest as “egregious government overreach.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat, said he was “outraged” by what he called “an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, said: “This is exactly what happens when immigration enforcement is weaponized.” Detaining people during routine appearances “doesn’t make us safer. It erodes trust, spreads fear, and violates basic principles of fairness,” she said.

Menin said officials were attempting to reach Rubio Bohorquez’s family and obtain contact information for his immigration lawyer.

Rubio Bohorquez, originally from Venezuela, was detained at an immigration appointment in Bethpage, on Long Island, authorities said. Menin called it a regular check-in that “quickly went awry.”

“This staffer, who chose to work for the city and contribute his expertise to the community, did everything right by appearing at a scheduled interview, and yet ICE unlawfully detained him,” Lisa Rivera, the president and CEO of New York Legal Assistance Group, said in a statement.

Rivera said the organization represents dozens of people who have been wrongfully detained by ICE and hundreds who are following immigration procedures in hopes of staying in the U.S.

According to ICE, Rubio Bohorquez entered the U.S. in 2017 on a B2 tourist visa and was required to leave the country by Oct. 22, 2017. He has been employed by the City Council for about a year, Menin said. His position pays about $129,315 per year, according to city payroll data.

“He had no work authorization,” ICE said in a statement confirming Rubio Bohorquez’s arrest. The agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security, said that 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.”

Several dozen people protested Tuesday outside the Greater New York Federal Building, where Rubio Bohorquez was being held. Some carried signs that said “Abolish ICE” and “No Human Is Illegal.”

Disputes over an immigrant’s work authorization have arisen before, in part because many employers rely on a robust but flawed government system called E-Verify. The tool compares information entered by an employer from an employee’s documents with records available to Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.

Experts say the system is generally accurate in terms of matching documents, but it doesn’t automatically notify an employer if an employee’s right to work is revoked after it has already been verified.

A 2021 Inspector General review concluded that until the government addresses E-Verify’s shortcomings, “it cannot ensure the system provides accurate employment eligibility results.”

Matthew Malloy, Executive Board Member with the Association of Legislative Employees, speaks during a news conference outside Greater New York Federal Building, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Alexa Avilés, New York City Council member, speaks during a news conference outside Greater New York Federal Building, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Chi Ossé, New York City Council member, speaks during a news conference outside Greater New York Federal Building, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Carlos Calzadilla, President of Brooklyn Young Democrats, speaks during a news conference outside Greater New York Federal Building, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

People raise signs during a news conference outside Greater New York Federal Building, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United has again turned to former player Michael Carrick to salvage its imploding season.

Carrick was hired Tuesday as United’s interim coach until the end of the season, more than a week after the departure of Ruben Amorim.

The ex-England midfielder, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during a trophy-laden playing career at Old Trafford, was also an assistant coach at United and had an unbeaten three-game spell as interim after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired in 2021.

On this occasion, Carrick was selected ahead of Solskjaer, who was also interviewed for the role.

“I know what it takes to succeed here; my focus is now on helping the players to reach the standards that we expect at this incredible club, which we know that this group is more than capable of producing,” Carrick said in the club's announcement.

Carrick added that he's worked with several of the players already.

“I have total belief in their talents, dedication and ability to be successful here,” he said. “There is still a lot to fight for this season, we are ready to pull everyone together and give the fans the performances that their loyal support deserves.”

By appointing Carrick in a short-term role, United is giving itself time to find a long-term replacement for Amorim, who was fired last week after 14 months in the job.

Former England assistant coach Steve Holland will be part of Carrick’s coaching team.

Carrick’s only full-time managerial experience was at second-tier Middlesbrough from 2022-25, where his reign ended after failing to secure promotion to the Premier League.

Yet former United striker Wayne Rooney said his old teammate would command the respect of the players.

“Michael is a very clever person and last time did really well,” Rooney said on his podcast, referring to that brief spell in 2021 when Carrick led United to wins over Arsenal and Villarreal as well as a draw at Chelsea.

The priority for Carrick is to secure Champions League qualification after defeat to Brighton in the third round of the FA Cup — United’s first game in the competition — on Sunday put the 20-time English champion on course for another trophyless season.

United also lost its first match in the English League Cup, to fourth-tier Grimsby, and is seventh in the Premier League.

As well as Carrick and Solskjaer, other former United players Darren Fletcher and Ruud van Nistelrooy were also considered. Fletcher has taken charge of United’s two games since Amorim’s departure — a draw at Burnley in the league and the cup loss to Brighton. He is expected to return to his role as youth coach.

Carrick’s first two games at the helm are tough ones — at home to second-place Manchester City in the league on Saturday and away to first-place Arsenal the following weekend.

It is unlikely Carrick’s time at the helm of United will go beyond the end of the season. The club’s hierarchy is on the hunt for its seventh permanent manager or coach after more than decade of decline since Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.

Amorim was the latest to fail to lead the club back to the summit of English soccer after David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag.

Carrick was part of one of Ferguson’s greatest teams, which won a Premier League and Champions League double in 2008. In all he won 12 major trophies in 12 years at United.

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Manchester United's manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, right, and assistant Michael Carrick stand on the touchline during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and West Ham at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)

FILE - Manchester United's temporary coach Michael Carrick walks off the pitch at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)