Judge Orders Zohran Mamdani’s NYC City Council Staffer to Be DEPORTED

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is already about to lose one of his City Council staffers — because the employee is about to be deported!

It turns out that NYC City Council staffer Rafael Rubio is an illegal alien from Venezuela.

He overstayed his tourist visa by over 8 years before being detained in January.

Oh, and he also has a felony assault on his record.

Rubio’s lawyers have been trying to stop his deportation, but a few days ago, an immigration judge ruled that he must be deported.

This clip from CBS News New York dove deeper into the situation:

Mamdani’s NYC City Council staffer Raphael Rubio just got ordered deported.

Overstayed his 2017 visa, arrested for assault, never had work authorization.

Adios amigo, your illegal status + felony assault = Juan-way ticket home. pic.twitter.com/azWx8Bs6Kf

— Kim "Katie" USA (@KimKatieUSA) March 21, 2026

Rubio’s legal team are calling the judge’s ruling unfair.

They claim that he was detained on a mere “technicality” involving a missing signature.

The New York Post has more:

The New York City Council vowed Wednesday to fight an immigration judge’s “outrageous” decision to deport a Venezuela-born city data analyst because of a missing signature on his asylum application.

Immigration Judge Charles Conroy cited the technicality in his final deportation order for Rafael Rubio, 53, who has been jailed since January, when ICE officers hauled him away at what he believed was a routine check-in at a Long Island immigration center.

Judge Conroy — who has one of New York City’s lowest asylum grant rates — issued his ruling after refusing to allow Rubio to fix the signature, which his lawyer said he could take care of in an hour, according to City Council Speaker Julie Menin.

“This is an indefensible decision,” Menin told reporters at a press conference in the City Hall rotunda.

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“This was clearly an innocent defect.”

Menin said the Council would be appealing Conroy’s ruling, which she called “cruel” and “inhumane.”

“Raphael should be released immediately. This is an outrageous decision by the judge. There’s no justification for continuing to detain him,” she told reporters.

“We will continue fighting, as we have every single day in the courts and beyond, until this is corrected,” Menin added.

“We want Rafael back at work. He deserves to be back at the City Council and back here at home in New York City.”

Mayor Mamdani also released a statement on his employee’s deportation order, calling it an “affront to justice”:

Today, an administrative immigration judge ordered the deportation of Rafael Rubio, a City Council employee.

This is an affront to justice. A dedicated public servant with legal authorization to remain in the country, Rafael showed up for a routine immigration appointment and,…

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 18, 2026

Today, an administrative immigration judge ordered the deportation of Rafael Rubio, a City Council employee.

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This is an affront to justice. A dedicated public servant with legal authorization to remain in the country, Rafael showed up for a routine immigration appointment and, despite following the rules, he was detained and has now been held for months.

He should be immediately released.

However, many patriots aren’t buying it.

Keep in mind that this guy had been living illegally in the U.S. for years — and he had been arrested for assault!

That doesn’t sound like just a legal “technicality” to me…

These folks aren’t fooled:

He overstayed his visa by 8 YEARS. He did not have work authorization. He is in the country illegally and had previous assault charges..

What are you even talking about? Please be quiet.

— Jeffery Mead (@the_jefferymead) March 19, 2026

Nah deport him twice.

— The Redheaded libertarian (@TRHLofficial) March 18, 2026

He had no legal authorization to work. Whoever cleared him should be fired and investigated.

— Ben Dempsey (@BenDempsey18) March 19, 2026

I also have to wonder if Rafael Rubio is the only illegal alien currently employed in Mamdani’s city government…

If a City Council employee has in fact been here illegally, this is a concerning red flag as to just how badly NYC has been run.

— Bonita (@CalmCoolSerene) March 18, 2026

Your thoughts?