Brad Lander arrested by ICE at immigration court amid protest over deportations

City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested and accosted by masked federal agents at immigration court in Lower Manhattan.

The city’s elected financial watchdog, and a Democratic candidate for mayor, appeared at 26 Federal Plaza on the morning of June 17 to observe immigration hearings involving individuals marked for potential deportation.

Lander’s arrest, which amNewYork observed, occurred as the comptroller and his staff walked arm-in-arm with an immigrant whom federal agents — representing ICE, the FBI and the Treasury Department, each of whom wearing masks to conceal their faces — moved to seize after a court hearing. Moments earlier, the immigrant had their case dismissed pending appeal.

Brad Lander being arrested — City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested and accosted by masked federal agents at immigration court in Lower Manhattan. Photo by Dean Moses

As the agents moved to pull Lander away and take the immigrant into custody, the comptroller shouted, “Show me your warrant, show me your badge.”

Comptroller Brad lander was just arrested by ICE at federal plassa. pic.twitter.com/FnVc7ZWact

— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 17, 2025

“I will let go if you show me a judicial warrant,” he repeated. “I would like to see the warrant, and then I will let go.”

Seconds later, one of the officers said, “Take him in.” The agents then forcibly removed Lander, pushed him against the wall and cuffed him.

“You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens,” Lander said. “I’m not obstructing, I am standing right here in the hallway. … You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens asking for a judicial warrant.”

City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested and accosted by masked federal agents at immigration court in Lower Manhattan. Photo by Dean Moses

The agents did not respond to someone’s question as to where they took Lander. The charges against Lander are unknown at this time.

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

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards criticized ICE agents as “masked agents from a rogue agency” and called for Lander’s immediate release. Richards also accused ICE agents of arresting individuals without producing a judicial warrant and called on the agency to provide documentation justifying the arrest of the individual Lander was escorting.

“The City Comptroller must immediately be released from his unjust and illegal detention, and ICE must also produce documentation that justifies the arrest of the individual the City Comptroller was escorting today,” Richards said in a statement.

“What happened in that Manhattan courthouse is just one shameful example of what has been occurring for months all across our nation — led by a right-wing extremist federal government that demonizes immigrants of color, tears families apart, disappears innocent people, blatantly violates our Constitution and stereotypes our neighbors as criminals undeserving of their humanity.”