The labor union District Council 9 on Wednesday protested the detainment of two of its members by federal immigration officials.
Hugo Mejia and Rodrigo Nunez were arrested on their job site in May by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. An effort for the men to gain asylum status has been denied by the Trump administration.
Union leaders pointed Mejia has been in the country for the last 15 years and his children were born in the U.S.
“What’s happening to Hugo and Rodrigo is an unfortunate reality of the new administration we live under, but it is certainly not one that District Council 9 will stand for,” said Davon Lomax, the union’s political director. “We intend to fight until ICE returns these men to their families and continue to stand in solidarity with our union brothers and those who need representation.”
Labor members held a rally for the two men at the Javits Center in New York City, part of a campaign to protest their arrests.