Gov. Kathy Hochul is joining calls seeking the release of two area residents separately detained by federal immigration agents in recent days.
In a statement posted on X, Hochul said she spoke Thursday evening with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about the arrests of SUNY Brockport IT technician German Machado Guillen and Mt. Morris restaurant owner Dian Zhao Lin.
"I want their families to know that I'm doing everything in my power to bring their loved one's home," Hochul wrote. "I'm encouraged by the Secretary's willingness to engage, and I'll continue pushing for their swift return."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took Guillen into custody last week outside his family home in Batavia. Agents arrested Lin (identified by federal authorities as Sin Di Ling) on Tuesday.
This isn't the first time Hochul has used her position to pressure federal authorities to release individuals detained in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Prior efforts have included college and high school students, as well as a family detained in March 2025 at a Sackets Harbor dairy farm.
ICE, in separate statements, has said both men were here illegally, Guillen having overstayed a visa and Lin having previously been ordered removed by an immigration judge.
U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle, who represents the state's 25th Congressional District, also has lobbied federal authorities for Guillen’s release.
