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Mr. Lander, the New York City comptroller who is running for mayor, was handcuffed as he tried to steer a man past Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
June 17, 2025, 1:03 p.m. ET
Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller who is running for mayor, was arrested on Tuesday by federal agents at an immigration court in Lower Manhattan as he tried to escort a migrant out of the courthouse to prevent his arrest by federal immigration authorities.
Mr. Lander, a Democrat, was at the city’s main immigration courthouse, at 26 Federal Plaza, to observe court proceedings where an increasing number of migrants who appear for court have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in recent weeks.
Video taken by reporters at the courthouse show Mr. Lander standing by a migrant man in a crowded hallway when several men who appear to be law enforcement officers, some wearing masks, walk up to the pair in an apparent attempt to arrest the migrant. Mr. Lander repeatedly asks the agents whether they have a judicial warrant and walks behind them, appearing to hold onto the man as the agents shepherd him toward the elevators. The video was posted on social media by a reporter from The City, a digital news outlet.
“I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant,” Mr. Lander says, his right hand on the man’s shoulder.
Agents tried to pry Mr. Lander away until they separate him and place Mr. Lander against a wall by the elevators as they place handcuffs on him.
“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Mr. Lander says repeatedly, according to the video. “I’m not obstructing. I’m standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant.”
Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for Mr. Lander, said that Mr. Lander “was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.”
“This is still developing and we are monitoring the situation closely,” she added.
Chloe Chik, a spokeswoman for the comptroller’s office, said Mr. Lander was being held on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza, where migrants apprehended by ICE are typically held.
The Department of Homeland Security, which houses ICE, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Jeffery C. Mays contributed reporting.
Luis Ferré-Sadurní is a Times reporter covering immigration, focused on the influx of migrants arriving in the New York region.
