NYC Council Analyst Faces Deportation Over Asylum Signature

An immigration judge in New York ordered the deportation of Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a 53-year-old Venezuelan national and data analyst for the New York City Council, on March 18, following his detention by federal authorities in January. The ruling, issued by Judge Charles Conroy, stemmed from a missing signature on Rubio Bohorquez's asylum application paperwork, despite requests from his attorney to correct the issue promptly.

Rubio Bohorquez was taken into custody on January 12 during what city officials described as a routine immigration appointment in Bethpage, Nassau County, on Long Island. He has remained in federal detention at a facility in Hudson County, New Jersey, since then. According to Department of Homeland Security officials, Rubio Bohorquez entered the United States in 2017 on a B2 tourist visa, which required him to leave the same year, and subsequently overstayed it without proper work authorization. Federal authorities also noted a prior arrest in March 2023 for an alleged assault in Queens, though the case was dismissed and does not appear on his record, as confirmed by city sources.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced the deportation order and...