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New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander said on Tuesday that it was “remarkable” to him that some of the officers who arrested him outside an immigration court were themselves immigrants.
Video footage of Lander’s arrest appeared to show him hanging onto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as they escorted a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, repeatedly asking officials if they had a judicial warrant.
“I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant,” Lander said in the video. “Where is it? Where is the warrant?”
New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander appeared on MSNBC to discuss his arrest. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
Lander described how “angry” and “sad” he was at the experience on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes,” pointing out what he seemed to consider an irony that some of the arresting officers were immigrant New Yorkers.
“I got to say about who two of the agents were, because this was kind of remarkable in itself,” Lander said. “The arresting officer is a Pakistani Muslim who lives in Brighton Beach, and the second officer is an Indo-Guyanese immigrant who lives in South Ozone Park in Queens. Both immigrants.”
He added, “Immigrant New Yorkers, whoever they are, have a lot of the same issues. And some of that is affordable housing. And some of that is knowing that Donald Trump is coming for New York City. And we need elected officials who will stand up.”
Hayes asked what it said to him that the arresting officers were both immigrants defending an ICE operation.
“It says to me that what Trump is trying to do is to drive a wedge into our country,” Lander answered.
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New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander, the latest U.S. politician to be swept up in U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration raids, is arrested at an immigration court, in New York City, U.S., June 17, 2025, in this screengrab from a video obtained from social media. (New York City Comptroller’s Office/via REUTERS)
Lander was released after being detained for a few hours. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a press conference after his release that the charges against Lander were dropped.
In response to the incident, a DHS spokesperson said, “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.”
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“No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences,” the spokesperson said.
