Why was NYC comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander arrested by ICE?
(This story has been amended to include new information.)
NEW YORK − Federal agents on June 17 arrested New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander as he attempted to escort a man out of immigration court.
Lander's arrest is the latest standoff between federal agents and Democratic officials opposed to the Trump administration's tactics to detain mass numbers of immigrants.
Video showed Lander link arms with the man that masked agents attempted to detain at a federal building in lower Manhattan. Lander repeatedly asked agents for a warrant used to detain the man before they arrested him.
Federal officials said they arrested Lander for assault and impeding agents, and were investigating whether they would charge him with a crime.
A reporter from The CITY, a nonprofit news outlet, first recorded the incident. Lander is the city’s top financial officer and a candidate for mayor in the June 24 primary election.
In a statement, Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Lander’s campaign, said Lander had been escorting a defendant out of immigration court. Lander was taken by masked agents and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
After over four hours in custody, Lander came out of the federal building alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Earlier in the day, he had been escorting migrants out of immigration court, he told supporters. He pointed out that 40% of New Yorkers are immigrants, including some of the agents who detained him.
“We’re not just showing up for just a few families, or for the strength of our democracy,” Lander told supporters, speaking through a bullhorn. “We are showing up for the future of New York City.”
In an emailed statement, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said Lander “was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.”
McLaughlin said it was wrong for politicians seeking higher office to undermine law enforcement safety for a “viral moment.”
“No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences,” she said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said it is investigating the actions involving Lander.
Federal law prohibits assaulting law enforcement, destroying property and obstructing official proceedings, Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors, said in an email.
"The Department of Justice will prosecute violations of federal law," he said.
The incident comes amid increasing federal immigration enforcement in New York's immigration courts and elsewhere across the country, as people show up for hearings or check-ins with immigration officials.
On June 15, President Donald Trump directed ICE to increase its efforts to detain and deport migrants in Democratic-run cities. Immigration raids have triggered mass protests in cities across the country.
Less than a week ago, federal officials forcibly removed Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, from a press conference held by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem while he attempted to speak out about immigration enforcement.
Video posted to social media showed a crowded hallway, where Lander was seen linking arms with the man being escorted by a few masked immigration agents. Lander could be heard repeatedly asking for a judicial warrant.
Agents pulled Lander aside, separating him from the man. They pushed him against a wall and cuffed him.
“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Lander said.
He was then whisked away into an elevator, including with his New York City police detail, video showed.
Democratic officials throughout NYC and the state swiftly condemned Lander's arrest.
"This is a sorry day for New York and our country," Hochul told reporters.
Several New York City officials, including those in the upcoming primary election, demonstrated outside the federal building, calling for Lander's release.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the front-runner in the mayoral race, said in a statement that ICE’s conduct was the result of Mayor Eric Adams “handing over the keys of our great city over to Donald Trump.”
Adams, a former Democrat, faced federal corruption charges until the Justice Department dropped the case against him. Trump administration officials said the charges interfered with Adams' ability to enact the Trump administration's immigration priorities. The mayor has denied that any quid pro quo took place.
“Comptroller Brad Lander was doing absolutely nothing wrong when he was illegally detained, and he must be released now,” Cuomo said.
Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams, said today shouldn't be about Lander.
"It’s about making sure all New Yorkers — regardless of their documentation status — feel safe enough to use public resources, like dialing 911, sending their kids to school, going to the hospital, or attending court appearances, and do not instead hide in the shadows," she said in a statement.
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Democrat running in the crowded primary, said on X that Lander's detention was "unacceptable and an abuse of power."
"This is profoundly unacceptable," New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. "Arresting Comptroller Lander for the simple act of standing up for immigrants and their civil rights is a shocking abuse of power."
Both the New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition, which have opposed the Trump administration's sweeping enforcement tactics, criticized agents detaining Lander.
"It sends an unmistakably authoritarian message – that ICE doesn’t care about the rule of law and that anyone exercising their right to challenge ICE and speak up for immigrants will be punished," Donna Lieberman, executive director of NYCLU, said in a statement.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.