New York City Official Brad Lander Is Detained by ICE Agents

New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was detained by federal authorities Tuesday afternoon.

Lander had been visiting an immigration court in the city. An initial video posted by NY1 reporter Courtney Gross showed Lander attempting to walk a man out of court after his case was dismissed. The reporter indicated it was to help the man avoid an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest.

In a subsequent video posted to X, Lander appeared to continue holding onto the man as the man is grabbed and detained by ICE agents, within a tight crowd. The video then showed Lander being arrested himself.

As Lander was arrested, he appeared to tell ICE agents, “You don’t have a warrant to arrest a U.S. citizen. You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens.”

He also stated, “I’m not obstructing. I’m standing right here in the hallway. I have to see the judicial warrant.”

Lander was held for several hours at 26 Federal Plaza, according to his press secretary. He was released Tuesday afternoon, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said all charges were dropped.

“There are no charges. The charges have been dropped,” Hochul said.

Lander told a crowd of reporters and supporters that he was fine shortly after being released — with the small exception of his suit.

“I’m happy to report I’m just fine,” he said, adding: “I lost a button.”

“But I’m gonna sleep in my bed tonight, safe, with my family,” Lander continued. “At that elevator, I was separated from someone named Edgardo ... Edgardo is in ICE detention and he’s not going to sleep in his bed tonight.”

Lander was originally arrested for “for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer,” according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

“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,” the statement read. “No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.”

Hochul told reporters earlier on Tuesday that the arrest was “bullshit.” She added that she worries “about all the people who don’t have that high profile position.”

Lander’s arrest came after federal officers forcefully ejected California Sen. Alex Padilla from a DHS press conference last week. Padilla was grabbed by several officers when asking a question, fell down and was eventually handcuffed. Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver has been indicted on federal charges after a scuffle with immigration officers outside a Newark, New Jersey, detention center in May.

Just before he was detained, Lander was asked by The City why he was spending the morning at immigration court.

“I don’t think there’s any place that’s more important to be right now than bearing witness and trying to stand up for the rule of law,” Lander replied.

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Nuha Dolby is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.