On Tuesday, Brad Lander, a candidate for mayor and the New York City Director, was taken into custody by an ICE agent while he was escorting an accused individual out of immigration court.
Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Lander’s campaign, mentioned that the masked agent apprehended him during this escort. She noted that the situation is ongoing, and the campaign is keeping a close eye on developments.
A video of the incident shows Lander leading the defendant down a hallway, where he asks the agents to present a judicial warrant for the detention.
“Show me the judicial warrant, and I’ll let it go. Where is it?” Lander asked the agent.
The agent responded that they had a warrant but was met with resistance from Lander, who insisted on seeing it before being pushed against the wall and handcuffed. While in custody, Lander asserted that ICE had no authority to arrest U.S. citizens.
The agent claimed Lander was obstructing their operations, to which he countered, “I’m not blocking you. I’m just standing in the hallway.”
Efforts to obtain a comment from ICE were made.
Lander later told the Associated Press that he had been present in immigration court earlier in the day and aimed to “accompany” the migrants from the building.
Responses from other mayoral candidates were swift and critical regarding Lander’s detention.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo described ICE’s actions as excessive, stating that the situation evokes fear of family separation and being detained without cause.
Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, who is also a candidate, voiced support for Lander, urging for his release. “We need to stand up for our immigrant neighbors,” he emphasized, calling for unified support from all New Yorkers.
This isn’t the first instance of a civil servant being detained by ICE during the Trump administration. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was detained outside an ICE facility last month, and Rep. Ramonica McQuiver faces federal charges after an encounter where she and fellow lawmakers sought to meet with detainees.
