NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander handcuffed by ICE
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NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander handcuffed by ICE
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was detained Tuesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Lander is a candidate in next week’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor. 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.
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.
“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.
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.
ICE Agents Arrest NYC Official and Democratic Mayoral Candidate Outside Immigration Court
New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested outside an immigration court Tuesday. Lander is the latest in a string of Democratic elected officials who have been detained by the Trump administration during confrontations with plain-clothes agents. The Department of Homeland Security accused Lander of “assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer’ Lander’s arrest comes just days after President Donald Trump ordered ICE officials to increase immigration raids in cities predominantly led by elected Democrats. New York was among the cities Trump singled out in his order, and Lander did not appear to assault officers in video of the confrontation. He is currently being held in the federal building in which he was arrested, a spokesperson for the comptroller’s office told the New York Times that officials were holding Lander in the building.
Federal agents arrested New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander outside an immigration court after he attempted to accompany a person out of a courtroom Tuesday.
Lander is the latest in a string of Democratic elected officials who have been detained by the Trump administration during confrontations with plain-clothes agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In video of the confrontation, Lander is seen asking ICE officials if they had a judicial warrant to arrest a man he was accompanying and holding on to. Multiple agents then separated Lander from the man before putting the mayoral candidate against a wall and handcuffing him.
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In a social media post, the Department of Homeland Security accused Lander of “assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.”
“It is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment. No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences,” the department claimed.
Lander did not appear to assault officers in video of the confrontation.
Lander’s arrest comes just days after President Donald Trump ordered ICE officials to increase immigration raids in cities predominantly led by elected Democrats. New York was among the cities Trump singled out in his order.
“These, and other such cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens,” Trump claimed, repeating unfounded election conspiracies about Democrats encouraging undocumented immigrants to vote.
“These Radical Left Democrats are sick of mind, hate our Country, and actually want to destroy our Inner Cities,” the president added.
A spokesperson for the comptroller’s office told the New York Times that officials were holding Lander in the federal building in which he was arrested.
After Lander’s arrest, other elected New York officials held an impromptu presser and called for his release.
“ICE has no interest in the law. It has no interest in order. It only has interest in terrorizing people across this country,” said Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.
“In this exact moment, New Yorkers and Americans are looking to leaders to meet this moment, to showcase the courage that is necessary,” said Mamdani. “In a stark contrast to the collaboration and the cowardice we have seen, what Brad did was engage in that very moment of courage. He showed us what leadership can look like, and for that he was arrested.”
Mamdani is also running for mayor, and he and Lander have cross-endorsed each other. The city’s ranked-choice voting system allows voters to rank multiple candidates.
Last week, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed by federal officials after attempting to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem questions at a press conference. Before he was handcuffed, Padilla identified himself as a sitting senator. He was not formally arrested but was temporarily detained.
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), was arrested during a scuffle with Homeland Security agents in Newark last month. Last week, a grand jury formally accused her of “forcibly impeding” federal officers, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison.
McIver, who plans to plead not guilty, denounced the legal proceedings as “a brazen attempt at political intimidation.”
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for additional details.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/17/brad-lander-ice-mayoral-comptroller.html