Jewish NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander arrested at immigration court
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Brad Lander’s arrest by ICE marks a breakout moment for the Jewish NYC mayoral candidate
New York City comptroller Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents at an immigration court in Lower Manhattan. Lander, 55, is the highest-ranking Jewish official in the city’s government. The dramatic turn of events captured widespread attention among New Yorkers as well as observers across the country. “Brad Lander” became one of the most-searched terms on the internet in the United States, per Google Trends. The New York Times’ Editorial Board reiterated some of the earlier praises in a semi-endorsement published on Wednesday that called Lander an “alternative to the front-runners” Lander received attention for his $2 million, 60-second ad that shows him riding Coney Island’s iconic Cyclone roller coaster while calmly taking phone calls and taking legal notes on a legal pad. The ad also shows him calmly taking notes on his legal pad, taking calls on a phone and taking a legal note on his phone while calmly riding the Cyclone.
What a week to be Jewish Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander.
On Tuesday, Lander — who, as New York City comptroller, is the highest-ranking Jewish official in the city’s government — was arrested by federal agents at an immigration court in Lower Manhattan after he linked arms with a person that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were attempting to detain.
Numerous journalists were present at the court at 26 Federal Plaza and witnessed the arrest, including AM New York reporter Dean Moses, who posted a video to X in which Lander, 55, can be heard saying, repeatedly, “Do you have a judicial warrant?”
Comptroller Brad lander was just arrested by ICE at federal plassa. pic.twitter.com/eVkdGwkn8f — Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 17, 2025
During Lander’s roughly four-hour detention, his wife, Meg, took over the candidate’s social media account, posting updates. Several New York City politicians flocked to Federal Plaza to demand Lander’s release, including Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist candidate for mayor who is regularly polling a close second behind frontrunner and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Lander and Mamdani cross-endorsed each other on Friday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul called Lander’s arrest “bullshit,” adding: “How dare they take an elected official, who’s been going down there for weeks, to escort people who are afraid to walk into a courthouse in the United States of America?”
The dramatic turn of events captured widespread attention among New Yorkers as well as observers across the country — Tuesday afternoon, “Brad Lander” became one of the most-searched terms on the internet in the United States, per Google Trends.
By the late afternoon, a crowd had assembled at Foley Square demanding for the comptroller’s release — which appears to have happened sometime before 4:30 p.m. Lander appeared outside the courthouse holding hands with his wife and Hochul; he then made an appearance at the rally.
“When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do?” Lander yelled through a bullhorn at the crowd, which responded, “Stand up! Fight back!”
.@NYCComptroller @bradlander is out and has joined the crowd at Foley Square. This never should have happened, and as he said: he gets to go home tonight. Way too many don’t. pic.twitter.com/lf9955AQuZ — New York Jewish Agenda (@NYJewishAgenda) June 17, 2025
The hugely viral sequence of events caps a very busy period for Lander, who, last week, was effectively endorsed in the New York Times by a panel of 15 New Yorkers who are “deeply involved in the life of the city,” including restaurateur Danny Meyer and Howard Wolfson, the former Deputy Mayor in Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s administration.
In New York Times editorial project dubbed “The Choice” that was published last Thursday, seven of the 15 panelists selected Lander as their “top choice” to be New York’s next mayor, citing his “detailed knowledge of city government and finances, his record as a consensus builder and his responsible approach to leadership.”
This almost-endorsement quite possibly buoyed Lander’s performance at the second — and final — Democratic mayoral candidate debate, which took place that evening. During the debate, Lander “won more attention on Thursday than in the last debate and seemed energized by his support earlier in the day from a panel convened by The New York Times’s opinion section,” the New York Times reported.
The New York Times’ Editorial Board reiterated some of the panel’s earlier praises in a semi-endorsement published on Wednesday. The newspaper called Lander an “alternative to the two front-runners,” Cuomo and Mamdani, who “demonstrates a welcome ability to learn from experience” and “exudes competence if not inspiration.”
Earlier in June, Lander received attention for his $2 million, 30-second ad that shows him riding Coney Island’s iconic Cyclone roller coaster while calmly taking notes on a legal pad, taking phone calls and — yes — eating a hotdog. “New York City is a ride in itself,” a voiceover says. “Buckle up, remain seated, and vote for Brad Lander.”
Should Lander, 55, be elected mayor, he brings years of city government experience to the role. Before becoming comptroller in 2022, Lander spent 11 years representing the 39th District — which covers Park Slope and other parts of Brooklyn — in City Council.
A native of St. Louis, Lander moved to New York City in 1992, at age 23, where he worked for progressive political groups like Brooklyn’s Fifth Avenue Committee and the Pratt Center for Community Development.
He is also proud of his Jewish identity. His two children, Marek and Rosa, are named after Jewish heroes: Marek Edelman, a leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and Rosa Schneiderman, a labor leader. A longtime resident of Park Slope, he told the New York Jewish Week last July that he “attends synagogue about once a month,” occasionally at the Reform Congregation Beth Elohim and at Kolot Chayeinu, a progressive congregation where he is a member, and he recently shared that he “almost became a rabbi” before turning to politics.
In a race where Israel has played a role despite being 5,700 miles away, Lander considers himself a “liberal Zionist who fiercely opposes the occupation,” and has voiced support for a “Jewish democratic Israel that’s both the homeland for the Jewish people, but grants full and equal social and political rights to people regardless of their religion.”
Tuesday’s dustup with ICE was not Lander’s first arrest while protesting immigrant rights. In August 2019, during President Trump’s first term, Lander was one of 40 Jews who were arrested in New York City for demonstrating against Amazon’s ties with ICE.
Throughout the long election season, Lander has consistently polled at third place among the Democratic mayoral candidates. At the moment, it’s too soon to tell whether or not Tuesday’s events will move the needle for him.
Early voting is currently underway for the Democratic mayoral primary and Election Day is next Tuesday, June 24. For a Jewish guide to the candidates, click here.
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