New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after an incident at an immigration court in the city, according to his campaign.

Kat Capossela, Lander’s press secretary, told NBC News in an email that “Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE” after “escorting a defendant out of immigration court.”

It’s unclear at the moment if Lander is still in custody.

Lawmakers in Washington press for more security following Minnesota shooting

toggle caption Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Members of Congress are reassessing their own security coverage following the Saturday attacks in Minnesota where a gunman shot two Democratic lawmakers, killing one and wounding the other.

Top leaders in Washington condemned the attacks in their immediate wake before turning to assess the security of federal politicians.

The suspected shooter, Vance Boelter, had a “hit list” of 45 elected Democrats. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Reps. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., and Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, have all said publicly that they were on that list.

Scholten cancelled a planned townhall in her district on Monday, saying, “Out of an abundance of caution and to not divert additional law enforcement resources away from protecting the broader public at this time, this is the responsible choice.”

Sponsor Message

Senators will receive a briefing Tuesday morning from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms Office. The briefing comes at the request of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY.

“I say to my colleagues, now is the time to speak with moral clarity,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor. “Every single one of us must condemn political violence no matter where it comes from and to work together to eradicate its root causes. We cannot be silent because silence only serves to enable more violence.”

Schumer added that he requested additional security support for both senators from Minnesota as well as Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.

Padilla was in a physical altercation with Department of Homeland Security staff last Thursday after he attempted to ask questions of DHS Sec. Kristi Noem at a press conference in Los Angeles. Padilla identified himself as a senator and tried to ask about mass-deportation actions occurring in Los Angeles before being restrained and later tackled and handcuffed.

Padilla told reporters he has spoken to Thune and plans to have further conversations with the Senate leader and colleagues on both sides of the aisle. He declined to agree with some arguments that the tactics used on him has emboldened attacks on Democrats, like Saturday’s shooting.

Sponsor Message

“I’ll have more to say in the coming days,” Padilla said.

Some lawmakers expressed skepticism about the calls for increased security.

South Dakota GOP Sen. Mike Rounds, noted that those who were shot on Saturday were state legislators. He also noted that he served in the statehouse for 10 years and said it wasn’t feasible to have security at all times.

“My question would be how far do you go and at what point?” he said.

Rounds pointed out that the U.S. Capitol Police authorize additional security for House members and Senators “when there is a known threat.”

Rounds said he supported increased investigations of online threats against lawmakers. He said social media pushes some people to escalate the tone of their rhetoric.

“Once you get to the point of threatening that’s when maybe someone needs to have a visit with them,” Rounds said.

Increasing threats to members

There has been a broader increase in threats to lawmakers in recent years. Thomas Manger, the former Capitol Police Chief who retired in May, told NPR earlier this year that threats have skyrocketed.

“For many years, if we got a thousand or 2,000 threats, you know, throughout the year, that was about average,” Manger said in January. “Now, we’re averaging eight to 9,000 every year. It’s really shot through the roof.”

Sen Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters in the Capitol on Monday that lawmakers need to work together.

“We all need to work together to turn down the politically temperature, and we need to put an end to political violence,” Hawley said. “And we also need to send a signal that if you plot, plan, take any step in furtherance of any kind of political violence, you are going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Members from both parties have repeatedly called for Congress to allow lawmakers to spend more money on personal security.

Sponsor Message

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday calling for him to do more to protect members.

“Member safety must be an area of common ground. Representatives from both sides of the aisle have endured assassination attempts that changed their lives and careers forever,” they wrote. “Too many other patriotic public servants have left Congress because they no longer felt safe carrying out their duty as elected officials. We must act to protect each other and preserve this great American institution.”

Asked about the push from House Democrats, Rounds, who serves on the Senate spending panel overseeing the legislative branch’s budget, told reporters, “That’s not a bad idea.” He added, “It’s not just the members who are at risk, it’s also their staffs who are at risk.”

Republican members are also circulating a letter calling for increased security, according to a draft of the letter obtained by NPR.

NPR’s Luke Garrett contributed to this report.

Washington — Members of Congress will receive security briefings this week after a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were killed, and another state lawmaker and his wife wounded in targeted shootings on Saturday.

Senators are set to receive a security briefing from the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the U.S. Capitol Police on Tuesday. The briefing comes at the request of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer said Sunday that the bipartisan briefing would concern security for Senate members and the country more broadly.

“We have to reevaluate how we are protecting members of Congress and staffs in the face of rising threats, but we also have to look at protecting all American people as that happens,” the New York Democrat said.

Schumer said he also asked the Capitol Police to immediately increase security for senators following the attacks.

He said the shootings are “more than a regional tragedy.”

“It’s part of a troubling pattern, a wave of political violence that threatens the very foundation of this republic,” he said.

Members of the House, who are on recess this week, are set to be briefed virtually on Tuesday by the House Sergeant at Arms, multiple sources told CBS News. The briefing was organized by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who said in a statement Saturday that he asked the Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police to “ensure the safety of our Minnesota delegation and Members of Congress across the country.”

The briefings come as the shootings raised concern about political violence and security concerns for elected officials. Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger, who retired from his post last month, told CBS News at the time that the threats facing members of Congress have accelerated over the past several years, and remain alarmingly high.

The U.S. Capitol Police’s Threat Assessment cases climbed for the second year in a row in 2024, with more than 9,400 concerning statements and direct threats investigated against members of Congress, their families and staffs. The figure is more than double where it stood in 2017, when under 4,000 cases were evaluated.

Manger said the heightened threat assessment is “really a reflection of our political landscape today.” He outlined that threats come in from across the country, and Capitol Police has nationwide jurisdiction to address the threats.

“We are sending investigators, agents all over this country to investigate these cases, we make many arrests, we are able to resolve some of these threats in other ways as well,” Manger said. “But that’s a huge responsibility.”

and contributed to this report.

On Tuesday, June 17, senators received a high-level security briefing from U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms. It’s a direct response to last weekend’s deadly attack on Minnesota lawmakers, which has reignited fears about rising political violence.

What do we know about the attacks?

The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, faces charges in connection with the killing of Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife during a targeted home invasion.

Authorities reported that Boelter was disguised as a police officer, wearing a tactical vest and body armor. They stated he had a hit list targeting more than 45 Democratic officials, including U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and state Reps. Hillary Scholten and Greg Landsman.

Investigators claimed Boelter had been planning the attacks for a while, driving to several lawmakers’ homes equipped with assault weapons, disguises and detailed surveillance notes.

Why hold a briefing?

Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and John Thune, who are also evaluating security support for members facing threats, requested the briefing.

Schumer said Sunday, June 15, that the bipartisan briefing would address security for Senate members and the country as a whole.

“We have to reevaluate how we are protecting members of Congress and staff in the face of rising threats, but we also have to look at protecting all American people as that happens,” he said.

What about the House?

During this week’s House recess, members will receive a virtual briefing on Tuesday, June 17, from the House Sergeant at Arms, as reported by CBS News. This briefing has been arranged by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Concerns over growing political violence

The shootings in Minnesota have raised concerns about increasing threats of political violence and the safety of elected officials.

In 2024, the U.S. Capitol Police’s Threat Assessment cases increased for the second consecutive year, with over 9,400 concerning statements and direct threats investigated against members of Congress, their families and staff.

Is security for state lawmakers realistic?

While members of Congress have access to some federal security resources, those protections often don’t extend to state or local lawmakers. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a former state legislator and governor, said it’s not always feasible to provide regular protection at the state level.

He mentioned that Capitol Police usually authorize enhanced security for House members and Senators only “when there is a known threat.”

As threats have increased, members of Congress have gained access to new funding to enhance security at their personal homes. However, lawmakers from both parties have repeatedly called for Congress to permit them to spend more money on personal security.

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Senators will be briefed by law enforcement on Tuesday on safety and security after the murder of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and the wounding of another and his wife on Saturday.

House Republicans held a conference call, which was described as “tense,” on Saturday with the House sergeant at arms and U.S. Capitol Police to discuss their concerns, multiple sources familiar with the call told ABC News. Several Republicans said on the one-hour call that they feel unsafe in their home districts and want more protection, sources said.

The key source of contention in particular was the request of police outside their homes at all times and law enforcement authorities saying they need more funding from Congress to provide that.

Senators will be briefed by the Senate sergeant at arms and Capitol Police on Tuesday morning, two sources familiar told ABC News, after it was requested by Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

House Democrats are expected to have a similar call in the coming days. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement Saturday that he asked the sergeant at arms and Capitol Police to “ensure the safety” of the Minnesota delegation and members of Congress “across the country.”

While House and Senate leadership are provided with a security detail, rank-and-file members are not routinely protected unless there is a specific threat.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday that political violence is a “rampant problem.” Fellow Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith told NBC News on Sunday, “I don’t want to think that I have to a personal security detail everywhere I go, but I think we really have to look at the situation that we’re in.

“This is no way for our government to work when people, any number of us, feel this kind of threat,” she said.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz said he might force a vote on a “secret session” in the House to discuss security and so that “members can handle this ourselves.”

Vance Boelter, 57, faces multiple federal charges in the killing of Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in “political assassinations,” acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph Thompson said Monday.

In a 20-page affidavit, prosecutors outlined how they say Boelter “embarked on a planned campaign of stalking and violence, designed to inflict fear, injure and kill members of the Minnesota state legislature and their families.” He allegedly had firearms and a list of 45 elected officials, “mostly or all Democrats,” according to prosecutors. Authorities say Boelter traveled to the homes of at least four public officials during the early morning hours of Saturday before the killings.

Michigan Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten on Monday postponed a town hall event after learning she was “on a list connected to the recent tragic shooting in Minnesota.”

“Out of an abundance of caution and to not divert additional law enforcement resources away from protecting the broader public at this time, this is the responsible choice,” Scholten said in a statement.

Ohio Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman also said he was told by Capitol Police that his name was on the suspect’s list and that the Cincinnati Police Department quickly increased security for him and his family over the weekend.

Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan told ABC News that he and fellow Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore were both named in the suspect’s writings. Pocan, who represents the Madison area, said he was notified by law enforcement on Sunday and “that was it” — there was no change to the posture of his personal security.

The number of threats and “concerning statements” against members of Congress, their families and staffs has risen for the past two years, according to Capitol Police, which pointed out that threats tend to increase during election years. The Capitol Police’s Threat Assessment Section investigated 9,474 threats and statements in 2024 and 8,008. It investigated 3,939 cases in 2017.

ABC News’ Isabella Murray and John Parkinson contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.