Who is Brad Lander? NYC mayoral candidate arrested by masked agents at Manhattan immigration court
Brad Lander, mayoral candidate and NYC comptroller, was detained by masked ICE agents at an immigration tribunal in Manhattan.
Brad Lander, the mayoral candidate and comptroller of New York City, was handcuffed by masked federal authorities inside an immigration tribunal in Manhattan on Tuesday.
“While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE,” Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, said in a post on X.
“This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely,” Barnette wrote.
As the city's elected financial inspector, who is one of the Democratic mayoral contenders, approached the public facility to monitor immigration proceedings, he was confronted by disguised Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, as well as face-covering FBI and Treasury Department agents.
His arrest comes days after federal officials detained and roughed up California Senator Alex Padilla when he was questioning Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference over protests in his state.
Brad Lander confronts masked agents
In the moments following a court hearing, Lander had locked arms with his employees and an immigrant who was being sought for arrest. He yelled, "Show me your warrant, show me your badge," as agents stepped in to yank Lander out of the corridor.
“I will let go if you show me a judicial warrant,” he can be heard shouting in the footage of his arrest, as per the UK Independent. “I would like to see the warrant, and then I will let go.”
Lander constantly questioned agents about the reason for his detention and where he was being shifted, as immigration officials are not authorized to make arrests of US citizens.
“I’m not obstructing, I am standing right here in the hallway,” he stated. “You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant.”
Brad Lander's wife opens up about shocking arrest
Lander's wife Meg stated outside the courthouse that the immigration judge had “chastised” Lander and other people for going into the courtroom and threatened to close the door.
Agents surrounded Lander and an immigrant whose case was dropped after he and staff left the courthouse, she claimed.
. “What I saw was shocking and unacceptable ... What I saw today was not the rule of law. That was not due process,” she said.
