Dem NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander arrested for obstructing ICE at courthouse

New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after obstructing an operation at a federal immigration court. The Democrat primary is on June 24.

Lander's wife, Meg Barnette, wrote to Lander's X account following the arrest, "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." Lander was released late Tuesday afternoon and was seen in footage taken by Oliya Scootercaster leaving the building alongside New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

Lander was seen on video being pryed away from a detainee while yelling, "I would like to see the warrant and then I will let go." After his grip was pryed away from the detainee, a person was heard saying, "take him in." The man who Lander was holding on to had his asylum case dismissed in the courtroom.

"You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens," Lander was heard saying as authorities placed his hands behind his back. "I’m not obstructing, I’m standing right here in the hallway, I asked to see the judicial warrant."

"You have no authority to arrest US citizens, where are you taking me?" Lander was arrested on a charge of obstruction of governmental administration, sources told the New York Post. 

Fellow New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wrote in response to the arrest, "NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was just arrested by Trump’s ICE agents because he asked to see a judicial warrant. This is fascism and all New Yorkers must speak in one voice. Release him now."

The Department of Homeland Security said, "New York City Comptroller Brad 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. No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences."

Speaking after the arrest, Mamdani said, "what Brad did was engage in that very moment of courage, he showed us what leadership can look like. And for that, he was arrested."

"This is not about an election. This is about ensuring that we protect the city and the country that we love. This is about ensuring that immigrant New Yorkers who come here for regular check-ins do not need to fear being separated from their families in the most brutal and cruel ways imaginable. And we know that today's arrest is but one example of what ICE is doing every single day across this country."