NYC Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander Arrested by ICE Agents

In another chilling display of federal overreach, New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by masked ICE agents for attempting to escort a migrant out of the city house. 

On Tuesday (June 17) Lander, who was inside Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza to support immigrants navigating a judicial labyrinth riddled with due process violations, was handcuffed and detained after peacefully questioning ICE agents about the legality of an attempted detainment by asking to see a judicial warrant while escorting a man named Edgardo—whose case had just been dismissed—out of the building.

“I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant,” Lander can be heard saying in video footage before being slammed against a wall and cuffed. “You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant.”

The incident, which was captured on video, has become yet another flashpoint in the increasingly hostile political climate cultivated by Donald Trump and his federal loyalists.

Lander posed no threat, made no sudden moves, and was visibly calm as he was asking questions to protect Edgardo, but was still arrested for the apparent offense of moral clarity and courage—two things that have clearly become dangerous liabilities in the age of Trump’s rebranded form of fascism.

The continued overreach and pressing of constitutional boundaries are part of a larger crackdown emboldened by the Trump Administration’s renewed war on sanctuary cities, migrant protections, and anyone—even elected officials—who dare stand in the way. Lander’s arrest follows a disturbing 807% increase in ICE arrests of non-criminal migrants since January, and echoes the similar treatment of California Senator Alex Padilla just last week.

Despite the outrage, Trump’s supporters continue to justify the blatant abuse of power under the guise of “law and order,” but in reality, it’s a smokescreen to continue his mission to usher in authoritarianism. Just like his recent and squeaky “birthday parade” —that was masked as a celebration for servicemen, an ironic gesture from a man who dodged the draft with bone spurs. Trump’s public stunts are distractions from the chaos he’s orchestrating behind closed doors. The truth is he’s acting out because no one showed up for his military cosplay, so now he’s flexing his muscle where he still can—by weaponizing federal agencies against anyone who challenges his narrative.

Lander, a longtime advocate for immigrant rights and social justice, has reportedly been monitoring ICE activity at immigration courts for weeks, walking out with multiple families to ensure they weren’t unlawfully detained. Unfortunately, on Tuesday, it wasn’t the same outcome for Edgardo, who’s now reportedly in ICE detention with no lawyer and no clear recourse.

“I did not come today expecting to get arrested,” Lander said, referring to earlier visits to the court where he had been able to escort people out of the building without incident. “I came today just expecting to do that again, and I really think I failed today because my goal was to get Edgardo out of the building.”

Upon his release, Lander said at the same news conference that he was “just fine” and only “lost a button.” He went on to add that this was not the case for Edgardo, the man whose arrest he was challenging.

“Edgardo is in Ice detention and he’s not going to sleep in his bed tonight. So far as I know, he has no lawyer. He has been stripped of his due process rights,” Lander said, later adding: “We are normalizing family separation. We are normalizing due process rights violations. We are normalizing the destruction of constitutional democracy, and we’re not going to stand by and let it happen.”

New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, called the arrest “bulls—t” on social media and to reporters. She later said in a news conference that the charges against Lander had been dropped late on Tuesday afternoon.

“To my knowledge, there are no charges. The charges have been dropped. He walked out of there a free man,” Hochul said.

The political ramifications are real and perhaps intentional. Lander’s arrest came just one week before the Democratic mayoral primary, where he’s running alongside notable candidates, including Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani, Adrienne Adams, and Scott Stringer—all of whom condemned the arrest and rallied outside the courthouse.

Zohran Mamdani, a mayoral candidate who also cross-endorsed Lander, called out the arrest on X: “This is fascism and all New Yorkers must speak in one voice. Release him now.”

In response to the backlash, the Department of Homeland Security claimed Lander “assaulted law enforcement and impeded a federal officer,” painting a picture starkly at odds with video evidence and eyewitness testimony. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York reportedly told CNN that they are investigating.

“The safety and security of official proceedings, government officials, law enforcement officers, and all members of the public who participate in them is a core focus of our Office. The Department of Justice will prosecute violations of federal law.” 

Federal law prohibits assaults on law enforcement and other public officials, destruction of property, and obstruction of official proceedings, the spokesperson added.

State Attorney General Letitia James, an ally of Lander who has endorsed his mayoral campaign, also told the outlet that Lander did not assault any officers before adding that she believes officers are arresting migrants at courts because they are under pressure to meet arrest quotas.

“It wasn’t performative,” James said. “He had no intentions of getting arrested. All that he was doing as he has done in the past, was to escort an individual.”

SEE ALSO:

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