New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has been arrested by federal agents at an immigration court, as the administration of US President Donald Trump steps up its confrontational approach with local officials over immigration raids.
Lander, a central candidate in the city’s Democratic primary election for mayor, was escorting a defendant out of court on Tuesday as part of an effort to observe immigration hearings and promote legal services for immigrants when he was arrested by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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“While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE,” reads a post on Lander’s social media account that says it was written by his wife.
The arrest is the latest case of the Trump administration taking a harsh stance towards Democratic officials who are critical of its aggressive approach to immigration enforcement. Federal immigration agencies have stepped up apprehensions at immigration courts in recent weeks, a practice that critics say discourages immigrants from participating in the judicial system.
Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage last week when California Senator Alex Padilla was handcuffed after attempting to interrupt a news conference by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, during which Trump also threatened to have California Governor Gavin Newsom arrested.
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Other mayoral candidates have rallied to Lander’s side, with New York State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani calling the arrest part of a trend of ICE “terrorising people across the country” and former state governor Andrew Cuomo calling it “thuggery” by the Trump administration.
In a video of Lander’s arrest, he looked to be trying to hold arms with the defendant before agents – some wearing face masks – physically separate the two and handcuff the comptroller. Lander can be heard repeatedly asking for a judicial warrant, which is required for immigration arrests under some circumstances. An officer holds up a paper saying it is a warrant, though he does not pass it over.
After cuffing Lander, federal agents can be heard telling the comptroller that he is “obstructing” as he tells them they “don’t have authority to arrest US citizens”.
“They said, ‘You’re obstructing,’” Lander’s wife Meg Barnette said at a press conference shortly after the incident. “I was shoved out of the way.”
“What I saw was shocking and unacceptable,” added Barnette, who is a lawyer. “What I saw today was not the rule of law.”
The US Department of Homeland Security told CBS News that the Lander was arrested “assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer” and accused him of undermining public safety to “get a viral moment”.
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