New York City Comptroller Brad Lander detained by ICE, his mayoral campaign said
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander detained by ICE, his mayoral campaign said

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander detained by ICE, his mayoral campaign said

How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.

Diverging Reports Breakdown

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander detained by ICE, his mayoral campaign said

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was detained after an incident inside an immigration court in the city, a spokesperson for his mayoral campaign said. Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, told reporters that Lander remains in custody and “I am confident that Brad will be out soon” It’s unclear whether he’s been arrested. The incident followed a series of dramatic confrontations between immigration officials and Democrats opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Last week, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristin Noem. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was then a gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, was also arrested on trespassing charges last month at an ICE detention facility in the state. The Democratic officials and their allies have argued that the incidents were politically motivated and criticized the administration’s conduct.

Read full article ▼
Create your free profile or log in to save this article

Create your free profile or log in to save this article

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was detained after an incident inside an immigration court in the city, a spokesperson for his mayoral campaign told NBC News Tuesday — the latest in a series of high-profile clashes between immigration officials and Democratic politicians.

Kat Capossela, Lander’s press secretary, told NBC News in an email that “Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE,” a reference to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, after “escorting a defendant out of immigration court.”

Speaking outside the courthouse at a press conference held by his official office, Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, told reporters that Lander remains in custody and “I am confident that Brad will be out soon.” It’s unclear whether he’s been arrested.

A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that oversees ICE, did not immediately return a request for comment about Lander’s status or if he will face charges. And Lander’s spokesperson didn’t provide additional details as to who he was escorting, but Barnette said the incident took place while Lander was “court watching” as she criticized immigration officials’ handling of cases involving immigrants accused of being in America illegally.

Lander is running in next week’s Democratic primary for mayor.

The incident followed a series of dramatic confrontations between immigration officials and Democrats opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Last week, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristin Noem. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was then a gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, was also arrested on trespassing charges last month at an ICE detention facility in the state. The charges against him were dropped, but Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was subsequently charged with assaulting law enforcement during the incident. Trump and his “border czar” Tom Homan also suggested that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could be arrested too.

The Democratic officials and their allies have argued that the incidents were politically motivated and criticized the administration’s conduct.

In a video posted to Lander’s personal account on X, Lander can be seen surrounded by people, including masked officers in vests adorned with the word “police.” At one point, someone can be heard saying “put him in custody,” and the men holding Lander as they scuffle with the comptroller before pinning him to a wall and handcuffing him.

“I’m not obstructing, I’m standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant,” he said.

“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant,” he added.

Lander is then led into an elevator with his hands behind his back as an aide can be heard asking, “Where are you taking the Comptroller of the city of New York?”

During her press conference, Barnette echoed Democratic criticisms of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, arguing that judges were dismissing charges against defendants before being turned over to federal agents to begin the process of deporting them.

“This is not the way we deal with rule of law, this is not the way people are treated in the United States,” Barnette, a former attorney, said.

“I feel really rattled and scared, and my husband is a candidate for mayor, is an elected citywide official, is U.S. citizen,” she said. He “has a U.S. passport and I know in all likelihood he is okay. And all of the other folks in that building are risking having their families torn apart with inadequate explanation. And it’s an abomination.”

She added that a member of Lander’s New York Police Department security detail accompanied him along with the law enforcement who detained him, and that he is “well.”

Source: Nbcnews.com | View original article

Brad Lander, NYC comptroller and mayoral candidate, is arrested outside immigration court

New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents. He was trying to accompany a person out of a courtroom. Lander is a candidate in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary. The episode occurred as federal immigration officials are conducting large-scale arrests outside immigration courtrooms across the country. The FBI deferred comment to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not respond to an emailed inquiry. The arrest comes a little more than a month after Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge outside a federal immigration detention center in his city. the arrest, captured by an AP reporter, shows an agent telling Lander, “You’re obstructing,” Lander said as he was led away down a hallway and into an elevator. In many cases, immigrants are arrested after a judge grants a government request to dismiss their case, making them eligible for expedited removal.

Read full article ▼
The episode occurred as federal immigration officials are conducting large-scale arrests outside immigration courtrooms across the country.

NEW YORK — New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents at an immigration court Tuesday as he was trying to accompany a person out of a courtroom.

A reporter with The Associated Press witnessed Lander’s arrest at a federal building in Manhattan. The person Lander was walking out of the courtroom was also arrested.

Lander had spent the morning observing immigration court hearings and told an AP reporter that he was there to “accompany” some immigrants out of the building.

At a press conference following the arrest, Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, said her husband had tried to link arms with a man following his immigration court hearing when “we were swarmed by a number of federal agents.”

“They said, ‘You’re obstructing,’” Barnette said. “I was shoved out of the way.”

“What I saw was shocking and unacceptable,” she added. “What I saw today was not the rule of law.”

A video of the arrest, captured by an AP reporter, shows an agent telling Lander, “You’re obstructing.”

Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad’s wife.

While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.

This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely. pic.twitter.com/jekaDFjsT1 — Brad Lander (@bradlander) June 17, 2025

In the moments before Lander was handcuffed, agents could be seen trying to physically separate Lander from the man they had come to detain. Lander briefly struggled to stay close to the detainee before he was pulled away.

“I’m not obstructing, I’m standing right here in the hallway,” Lander said as he was being handcuffed.

“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant,” Lander said as he was led away down a hallway and into an elevator.

One of the officers who led Lander away wore a tactical vest labeled “federal agent.” Others were in plainclothes, with surgical masks over their faces.

The episode occurred as federal immigration officials are conducting large-scale arrests outside immigration courtrooms across the country.

In many cases, immigrants are arrested after a judge grants a government request to dismiss their case, making them eligible for expedited removal.

“They remove any opportunity for due process,” Lander had told reporters earlier in the day after witnessing another person’s hearing.

Lander’s detainment comes a little more than a month after Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge outside a federal immigration detention center in his city.

The charge was later dropped by interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba, and Baraka’s fellow Democrat, Rep. LaMonica McIver, was charged with assaulting and impeding federal agents stemming from her role at the same visit as the mayor. A federal indictment charges she grabbed, pushed and blocked officers from arresting the mayor. She’s denied the charges and said she plans to fight them. Baraka filed a federal lawsuit against Habba alleging false arrest and malicious prosecution.

A spokesperson for the FBI deferred comment to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not respond to an emailed inquiry.

Lander is a candidate in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary. Early voting in the contest is underway and the election is next week.

In a statement, Lander’s campaign said, “While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.”

Source: Wusa9.com | View original article

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/new-york-city-comptroller-brad-lander-detained-ice-mayoral-campaign-sa-rcna213540

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *