NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander arrested, released by ICE

NEW YORK - New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by ICE in immigration court Tuesday, according to his spokesperson. He was later released Tuesday evening and is expected to speak publicly.

There are reports that Lander will be charged with assaulting an ICE officer, according to FOX News.

At a press conference, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the charges against Brad Lander had been dropped, speaking alongside the newly released comptroller.

She also pledged $50 million in state funding for legal services to support individuals facing similar situations.

"We're a better country than this," Hochul said. 

Lander said, "I am just fine, I lost a button, but I'm going to sleep in my bed tonight."

What happened to Brad Lander?

He claims the ICE agents threatened to arrest him if he did not allow them to detain a man facing immigration issues. 

Lander says he told the agents he would comply if they explained why the man was being taken or presented a warrant. Instead, he says, they arrested him and took him into custody.

According to Lander, the two ICE agents who detained him were a Pakistani-Muslim from Brighton Beach and an Indo-Guyanese officer from South Ozone Park. He pointed to their backgrounds as a reflection of what New York City represents.

While being held, Lander says he saw a poster in the detention room that read, "Have you been detained and separated from your children?" He argued that "we are normalizing family separation."

Lander said he remains committed to showing up for immigrant families in court and encouraged peaceful protest, adding, "We don’t need to give President Donald Trump and his goons any reason."

The other side:

ICE responded to the incident by accusing Lander of assaulting a federal agent and impeding an investigation. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said:

"New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer. Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them — it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment. No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences."

As of 1:30 p.m. Lander has both personal legal counsel and city counsel, but there is no update on his status. 

Brad Lander, 55, is the current NYC comptroller and a progressive who has been advocating for police reform, affordable housing, and better management of the migrant crisis. 

"While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad Lander was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE. This is still developing, and we are monitoring the situation closely," Lander's spokesperson said. 

City officials rally after Lander arrest

What they're saying:

Following Brad Lander’s arrest, his wife Meg Barnette and several city officials held a press conference demanding his release. 

Barnette said Lander was taken into custody after linking arms with a man whose immigration case had just been dismissed. 

She said officials repeatedly asked for a judicial warrant and the grounds for the arrest, but the agents, many of whom were masked, refused to provide answers or identify their agency.

"It's extraordinarily upsetting," Barnette said, adding she did not know the details of the individual’s case.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams condemned the arrest as immoral. "They are kidnapping our neighbors off the streets," he said. "Sometimes all we have is the power to be present," adding that Lander was simply trying to help.

Williams also called on Mayor Adams to denounce the arrest. "Just imagine what they do to people who are less well known," another official said.

Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani also spoke at the rally: "NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was just arrested by Trump’s ICE agents because he asked to see a judicial warrant. This is fascism and all New Yorkers must speak in one voice. Release him now."

"What Brad did was engage in that very moment of courage. He showed us what leadership can look like, and for that, he was arrested."

New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the incident "bullshit," joining the growing list of elected officials demanding Brad Lander’s immediate release.

Former Governor and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo is expected to address the issue in a press conference later today. 

Brad Lander arrest video

Lander had reportedly been accompanying immigrants outside to observe hearings and help shield individuals marked for potential deportation from ICE detention.

A video posted on X shows Lander walking alongside a man whose immigration case had just been dismissed, attempting to escort him out of court to avoid ICE detention, according to the tweet. Agents still arrested the man outside.

Another video posted to X shows immigration officials arresting Lander as he says, "I’m not obstructing." Officers appear to pin him against the wall while placing him in handcuffs.

It's still unclear why Lander was arrested. 

NYC protests

Following Lander's arrest, protesters gathered outside the NYC federal court building where Lander was arrested by masked ICE agents demanding his release. 

Who is Brad Lander?

Brad Lander, 55, is the current NYC comptroller and a progressive who advocates for police reform, affordable housing, and better management of the migrant crisis. 

The Missouri native is a progressive who, during his time in City Council, focused largely on police reform.

Lander, who announced his run for mayor last year, was first elected to the City Council in 2009, later serving as the deputy leader for policy. In 2021, he was elected as the 45th City Comptroller and assumed office in January 2022.

Lander says he's focused on making New York City safer, solving the affordability crisis and delivering a better-run city government. His top priorities as mayor are to "get seriously mentally ill people off the streets and subways and build affordable housing. He will do that by bringing competence and integrity back to City Hall."

"New Yorkers deserve a safe city on the subways in their neighborhoods, so we're going to recruit, retain and support officers to confront violent crime and get illegal guns off the street," Lander said on Good Day New York.

What does the city comptroller do?

The NYC comptroller serves as the city's chief financial officer and chief auditor. The office reviews the performance and spending of city agencies, oversees all city contracts, manages public pension funds, and handles the settlement of litigation claims.

Get the latest on this developing story from FOX 5 New York.

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