NYC Comptroller Brad Lander arrested by federal agents at immigration court

Screenshots of video provided by the comptroller's office.

Mayoral candidate and city Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested Tuesday by federal agents at an immigration courthouse in Lower Manhattan, according to Homeland Security officials and staff for his mayoral campaign and office.

Video posted to social media shows Lander being led away in handcuffs into an elevator by two men who appear to be masked law enforcement officials, which is consistent with the recent practices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

“You have no authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Lander can be heard asking in the video. “Where are you taking me and with what authority?”

Lander campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec told Gothamist the comptroller was arrested while escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza.

He was released from federal custody around 4:30 p.m. A comptroller spokesperson said no charges have been filed and the case is under review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad's wife.

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. pic.twitter.com/jekaDFjsT1

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) June 17, 2025

Another video of the incident, which was provided by Chloe Chik, a spokesperson for the comptroller’s office, shows Lander being handcuffed against a wall and led into the elevator.

“I’m not obstructing, I’m standing right here in the hallway,” he says in the video. “I asked to see the judicial warrant. You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant.”

Speaking to supporters after his release, Lander said he had been trying to help a migrant in the courthouse.

“I will be fine, but Edgardo is not going to be fine,” he said. “And the rule of law is not fine and our constitutional democracy is not fine.”

It was unclear Tuesday evening where the man was being held or whether he remained in federal custody.

According to his public schedule, the comptroller had planned to observe immigration court proceedings Tuesday. He was expected to highlight “the need for more legal funding and resources to protect immigrants from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s unlawful detainments,” his office said.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that Lander “was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal court officer.” She did not provide further details.

Lander is a Democratic mayoral candidate in the June primary election. Early voting is currently underway and Primary Day in the ranked-choice election is next Tuesday.

Lander has been polling in the middle of the crowded field, but last week he fiercely criticized the record of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the frontrunner, during a mayoral debate, and cross-endorsed state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani of Queens, who has been polling second in the race. The comptroller also received the backing of a panel of experts convened by the New York Times who weighed in on the contest.

“Today should not be about Brad Lander,” Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, said in a statement. “It’s about making sure all New Yorkers — regardless of their documentation status — feel safe enough to use public resources.”

As news of Lander’s arrest spread, hundreds of supporters holding signs gathered in Foley Square. Some elected officials called for him to be released immediately.

“It's bulls---,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said at an unrelated press conference. “Brad Lander has stepped up to be a guiding help to [migrants], and this is what happens to him? What the hell is happening to this country?”

Several other elected officials took to Lower Manhattan to push back.

“We need every candidate, every elected official, to say this is absolutely wrong and should not be happening in New York City,” City Councilmember Alexa Avilés of Brooklyn said.

In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James called Lander's detention "profoundly unacceptable" and a "grotesque escalation of tensions" from the Trump administration.

The incident comes just weeks after U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on a trespassing charge after he entered, then left, a privately run immigration detention facility in Newark along with members of Congress who had arrived for a tour. A federal judge later dismissed those charges.

Federal officials have also indicted U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, accusing her of “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers” during the May 9 incident. She said she would plead not guilty.