On June 17, 2025, New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral frontrunner Brad Lander was placed under arrest by masked ICE agents as he escorted an immigrant exiting a Manhattan immigration court. The high-profile incident took place in the hallways of 26 Federal Plaza, where Lander who had gone to observe court proceedings demanded that agents produce a judicial warrant before intervening.
Video footage, captured by both amNY reporters and the Associated Press, shows Lander linking arms with the detainee and repeatedly asking, “Show me your warrant. You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens.” Despite his protests, agents handcuffed him, charging him with obstruction of governmental administration.
Lander’s campaign staff confirmed the arrest, stating he had been “detained by ICE while escorting a defendant out of immigration court,” and his wife, Meg Barnette, described watching her husband being forcibly restrained in what she called a ” shocking and unacceptable” scene.
Word spread quickly as the incident occurred during the early voting period, adding fuel to the tense atmosphere of New York’s Democratic mayoral primary. Progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani labeled the arrest “fascism” and demanded Lander’s immediate release, while New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera called it “another example of fascist overreach from ICE.” Congressman Greg Casar also condemned the move as “illegal” and part of a broader Trump-era crackdown on immigration rights.
This arrest is part of a nationwide increase in courthouse ICE operations, mirroring recent high-profile detentions, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who faced similar charges last month tough those charges were later dropped.
As of now, Lander remains in custody, his campaign anticipates charges will be dropped ahead of the June 24, primary. But the political fallout has already begun his detention has energized progressive voters and intensified scrutiny on President Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics in major metropolitan areas.
