New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents Tuesday at a Manhattan immigration court. He was reportedly attempting to escort immigrants out of the building after observing hearings.
Video footage shows agents telling Lander he was “obstructing,” to which he replied: “You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens asking for a judicial warrant.”
Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad's wife.
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) June 17, 2025
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
According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, Lander was arrested for “assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.” She cited a “413% increase” in assaults on ICE agents and warned, “No one is above the law.”
Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, confirmed on X that he remains in ICE custody. Fellow mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani joined protesters gathered at Federal Plaza and blasted ICE and the city’s mayor for “collaboration and silence.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez earlier called the arrest “political intimidation.”
