Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, was detained by ICE as he was “escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza,” his wife said in a statement.

Video of the incident, posted on X, shows Lander standing outside a courtroom when he is approached by officers wearing masks.

New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was detained Tuesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as he was escorting a defendant out of immigration court, his wife said in a statement.

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“While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE,” Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, wrote on X.

“This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely,” Barnette wrote.

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ICE did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Video of the incident posted online shows Lander standing outside a courtroom at the city’s main immigration court when he is approached by officers, including some wearing masks.

Lander repeatedly asks the officers to show him a judicial warrant before he is handcuffed, per the video posted by Barnette.

Lander is still in custody as of early Tuesday afternoon, Barnette said during a press conference after the incident. Lander has a personal lawyer and counsel from the city, she also said.

“I am just very aware of how I feel right now watching Brad being taken away and that it’s going to be ok, and for all of those other families in there, they can’t say that,” she said.

Lander, a candidate in next week’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor, has observed court proceedings at the immigration courthouse at least two other times, Barnette said.

Olga Fedorova | AP

The incident comes days after police handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., after he was forcibly removed from a press conference that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was holding in Los Angeles.

“If that is what the administration is going to do to a United States senator for having the authority to simply ask a question, imagine what they will do to any American who dares to speak up,” Padilla said during remarks from the Senate floor on Tuesday.

New York Attorney General Letitia James condemned Lander’s detention as a “profoundly unacceptable” event.

“Arresting Comptroller Lander for the simple act of standing up for immigrants and their civil rights is a shocking abuse of power,” James said in a statement.

She also said it was a “grotesque escalation of tensions,” and that the Trump administration’s “rampant targeting of New Yorkers only makes our communities less safe.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Brad Lander, New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate, was arrested by federal agents on Tuesday inside a Lower Manhattan immigration courthouse while attempting to shield a migrant from arrest.

The incident took place at 26 Federal Plaza, the city’s primary immigration court, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have ramped up detentions of migrants attending routine hearings. Lander, a Democrat known for his progressive stances, was observing court proceedings when he attempted to escort a man from the building.

Caught on Camera: Confrontation With ICE Agents

Video footage captured by reporters shows Lander standing next to the migrant in a crowded hallway when ICE officers approached. Lander repeatedly asked whether the agents possessed a judicial warrant. ‘I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant,’ he said, placing his hand on the man’s shoulder.

Agents forcibly removed Lander from the migrant, pushing him against a wall near the lifts and handcuffing him. ‘You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens,’ Lander said in the footage. Legal experts noted that judicial warrants are not required for arrests inside immigration courts, which are public spaces.

Political Fallout and Public Support

A spokeswoman for Lander confirmed he was detained by masked ICE agents and held on the 10th floor of the courthouse, where detained migrants are typically processed. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to immediate requests for comment.

The arrest comes just one week before the Democratic mayoral primary. Lander has been polling behind former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, who remains the race’s front-runner. Lander and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who is also in the running, have cross-endorsed each other.

Cuomo condemned the arrest, calling it an example of ‘extreme thuggery’ by ICE under the Trump administration.

Champion of Immigrant Rights and Public Accountability

Lander has long opposed federal immigration crackdowns. He has advocated for sanctuary city policies and increased funding for legal aid to undocumented immigrants. Tuesday’s arrest marked the third time Lander had visited the immigration court, where he previously escorted at-risk families to safety without incident.

His campaign quickly responded to the incident, posting video footage via his official account. Lander’s commitment to standing up against President Trump’s immigration policies has become a central message in his campaign.

Lander’s Record: From Housing Advocate to Comptroller

According to his campaign biography, Brad Lander has dedicated his career to serving New Yorkers. He previously led organisations like the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Pratt Center for Community Development, where he helped build and preserve affordable housing.

As a city council member, he passed legislation protecting workers and spearheaded redevelopment in Gowanus. As NYC Comptroller, Lander was the first to confront Donald Trump and Elon Musk over misappropriated city funds and rejected a no-bid contract under Mayor Eric Adams, saving taxpayers £432 million.

His mayoral campaign focuses on addressing mental illness in public spaces and tackling the city’s housing crisis with integrity and transparency.

Family Life: Meet Meg Barnette

Lander lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Meg Barnette, and their two children, Marek and Rosa, both graduates of NYC public schools. A longtime community advocate, Barnette is a senior consultant with decades of experience in nonprofit leadership.

She previously served as President and CEO of Nonprofit New York and held key roles at Planned Parenthood and the Brennan Center for Justice. A graduate of NYU School of Law and the University of Chicago, Barnette focuses on building healthier, values-driven workplaces.

What’s Next for Lander?

While the legal outcome of Lander’s arrest remains uncertain, the political implications are already unfolding. His stance at the courthouse may galvanise progressive voters and draw sharper contrasts between him and his rivals.

Whether it helps or hinders his campaign, Lander’s dramatic arrest has already placed him at the centre of the city’s immigration and political debate.

New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander has been charged with assaulting or impeding a federal officer, according to Fox News Digital.

Lander was arrested by ICE agents on Tuesday outside an immigration hearing at 26 Federal Plaza.

amNewYork reported, “Lander’s arrest, which amNewYork observed, occurred as the comptroller and his staff walked arm-in-arm with an immigrant whom federal agents — representing ICE, the FBI and the Treasury Department, each of whom were wearing masks to conceal their faces — moved to seize after a court hearing. Moments earlier, the immigrant had their case dismissed pending appeal.”

A court reporter with the New York Daily News wrote on X that Lander could appear before a Southern District of New York judge Tuesday afternoon.

Fellow NYC mayoral candidate, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, posted on social media, “This is the latest example of the extreme thuggery of Trump’s ICE out of control — one can only imagine the fear families across our country feel when confronted with ICE.” “Fear of separation, fear of being taken from their schools, fear of being detained without just cause. This is not who we are. This must stop, and it must stop now.”

Read the Fox News Digital report here.

New York, New York – Brad Lander, New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate , was arrested on Tuesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a courthouse visit.

On Tuesday, Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by ICE agents during a visit to a local courthouse. © Collage: Screenshots/ X / @BradLander

Several videos have been shared on social media showing Lander demanding to see a judicial warrant as ICE agents moved to arrest an undocumented migrant following his immigration hearing.

After Lander refused to let go of the man, an agent can be heard saying, “Take him in.”

Several agents then proceed to aggressively grab the politician and pull him down a hallway filled with onlookers before putting him in handcuffs and taking him in an elevator.

Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, also shared a video via his X account, along with a caption claiming he was “escorting a defendant” out of the court when he was “taken by masked agents.”

Throughout the incident, Lander can be heard repeatedly saying, “You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens.”

A source told the New York Post that Lander was visiting the federal court to observe immigration proceedings after President Donald Trump called on ICE to target NY state over its law banning ICE from committing arrests at courthouses.