OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:41 PM – Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Democrat mayoral candidate and current New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents following allegations that he assaulted an officer and obstructed an arrest by physically interlocking arms with an individual whom authorities were attempting to detain.
Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin explained that Lander was “arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.”
Prior to the incident, Lander said that he was “observing” immigration court hearings to “accompany” non-citizens out of the building, according to the Associated Press.
Video footage showcases Lander repeatedly demanding to see an arrest warrant as he held onto the detainee, which is when law enforcement officials finally arrested Lander for obstruction.
“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Lander could be heard in the video. “I’m not obstructing, I am standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant. … You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant.”
“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,” stated a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. “No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.”
Following his release, Lander stated: “I am happy to report that I am just fine. I lost a button.”
“I believe it is important to show up and bear witness and accompany people,” he continued. “So I am going to keep coming here week after week.”
Lander went on to emphasize that the illegal alien he was attempting to “protect” did not “have a lawyer,” and that he would be forced to sleep in an ICE detention center.
Meanwhile, Lander’s arrest sparked significant outrage among fellow Democrat mayoral contenders, including former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who wrote: “This is the latest example of the extreme thuggery of Trump’s ICE out of control – one can only imagine the fear families across our country feel when confronted with ICE.”
Additionally, Socialist Assemblyman and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani stated: “We saw that ICE has no interest in the law. It has no interest in order. It only has an interest in terrorizing people across this country.”
“And in this exact moment, New Yorkers and Americans are looking to leaders to meet this moment, to showcase the courage that is necessary. The stark contrast from the collaboration and the cowardice we have seen, and what Brad did was engage in that very moment of courage. He showed us what leadership can look like,” Mamdani added.
Early voting for the next mayor of New York City has begun with the election taking place next week.
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