(The Center Square) – Brad Lander, the comptroller of New York City and a mayoral candidate, was arrested Tuesday by federal immigration officials after he tried to block them from making an arrest at a courthouse.
Lander, a Democrat, reportedly tried to escort an individual past agents from federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, and the Treasury Department after their deportation case was dismissed in court.
Lander’s campaign manager and his wife both posted chaotic videos of him yelling “show me your warrant, show me your badge” as he was placed in handcuffs and wrestled down the hallway of the courthouse by ICE agents.
“You don‘t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant,” Lander says in the video.
In a statement, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said Lander was arrested “for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.”
“Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them – it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment,” McLaughlin said. “No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.”
Lander, vying for mayor in a crowded field of Democrats, has been critical of ICE arrests at courthouses where individuals potentially facing deportation attend immigration hearings.
New York City officials and legal organizations quickly condemned Lander’s arrest, blasting the move as an “abuse of power” by ICE and other federal authorities.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the frontrunner in the mayor’s race, pointed the blame at Mayor Eric Adams, a fellow Democrat who is running for reelection as an independent, for part of Lander’s arrest.
“Make no mistake: this kind of conduct is the direct result of Mayor Eric Adams handing the keys of our great city over to Donald Trump,” the Democrat posted on social media. “Comptroller Brad Lander was doing absolutely nothing wrong when he was illegally detained and he must be released.”
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams demanded Lander’s release in a statement, condemning what he called ICE’s “increasingly aggressive” tactics.
Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, called Lander’s arrest “profoundly unacceptable” and criticized the Trump administration for targeting New Yorkers.
“Arresting Comptroller Lander for the simple act of standing up for immigrants and their civil rights is a shocking abuse of power,” James said. “No one should face fear and intimidation in a courthouse, and this is a grotesque escalation of tensions.”
