BREAKING: Masked ICE Agents Detain NYC Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander
ICE Agents Detain NYC Mayor Candidate
June 17, 2025 — New York City Comptroller and leading Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was violently detained today by masked ICE agents while attempting to escort an undocumented immigrant out of an immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
Video footage shows Lander linking arms with the immigrant before being surrounded by plainclothes agents, shoved against a wall, and forcibly handcuffed. Witnesses say he repeatedly asked for a judicial warrant and told the agents, “You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens.”
According to his campaign, Lander was assisting a longtime city resident attending a court hearing when the incident occurred. The Department of Homeland Security claims Lander was arrested for “assaulting a federal officer” and “interfering with enforcement actions.”
His wife, Meg Barnette, described the scene as “shocking and unacceptable,” adding that agents “swarmed them like it was a raid.” Civil rights groups and fellow candidates have condemned the arrest as political intimidation just one week before the primary election.
Protesters and immigration advocates are now gathering outside the courthouse. The arrest follows similar controversial ICE actions involving elected officials across the country and is already igniting national outrage.
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More outrageous illegal behavior!
ice is untrained and out of control. I can’t help but think that they are January 6 ers Trump hired to do this job. Reason for the mask and no identification because we might recognize them.