A federal immigration judge has ordered the deportation of Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a former New York City Council data analyst, after federal authorities determined he overstayed a 2017 tourist visa and lacked authorization to work in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Rubio Bohorquez, 53, also has an arrest on his record for assault, federal officials said, and is facing removal to Venezuela under the final order.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sharply criticized the judge’s decision, calling it “an affront to justice” on the social platform X and insisting that Rubio Bohorquez had “legal authorization to remain in the country” and had followed required procedures at a routine immigration appointment. City Council Speaker Julie Menin echoed opposition to the ruling, characterizing the deportation as the result of a “technical procedural issue” involving a missing signature on an asylum application.

The Department of Homeland Security defended the judge’s order as “a victory for the rule of law” and said Immigration and Customs Enforcement will proceed to return Rubio Bohorquez to his home country. State Attorney General Letitia James also objected to the deportation, calling the decision “outrageous” and urging his release. Rubio Bohorquez, who was employed by the council for about a year before his detention in January, plans to appeal the deportation order to the Board of Immigration Appeals and seek to have his case reopened in immigration court.

The dispute highlights tensions between federal immigration enforcement and city officials who have maintained that the staffer complied with legal requirements, raising broader questions about status verification and workplace eligibility for local government employees.