NEW YORK − Federal agents on June 17 detained New York City Comptroller Brad Lander while he was trying to ask to see a warrant for a man taken into custody while walking out of immigration court, videos show.
A reporter from The CITY, a nonprofit news outlet, first recorded the incident at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. Lander is the city’s top financial officer and a candidate for mayor.
In a statement, Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Lander’s campaign, said Lander had been escorting a defendant out of immigration court. He was taken by masked agents and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This is still developing and we are monitoring the situation closely,” Pekec said in a statement.
Video posted to social media showed a crowded hallway, where Lander was seen holding the man being escorted by a few masked immigration agents. Lander could be seen repeatedly asking for a judicial warrant.
At a certain point, agents pulled Lander aside, separating him from the man. Agents pushed him against a wall and cuffed him.
“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Lander said.
This is a developing story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYC official Brad Lander arrested by ICE agents
