June 17, 2025 — by a 15-year veteran journalist

NEW YORK (June 17, 2025) — NYC Comptroller and Democratic mayoral hopeful Brad Lander was handcuffed by masked ICE agents on Tuesday inside Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza immigration court. He had been escorting a man whose case was dismissed, when Lander asked agents, “Do you have a judicial warrant?” They responded, “You’re obstructing,” and swiftly arrested him 

Witnesses – including his wife, Meg Barnette – say the pair were swarmed by agents. Lander pressed, “You don’t have authority to arrest U.S. citizens.” A campaign spokesperson later confirmed he was held on an obstruction of governmental administration charge 

Watch the uncut moment now

This dramatic Brad Lander arrest comes just one week before the NYC Democratic primary. The incident ratchets up tension around rising ICE courthouse raids, echoing earlier actions in Newark and federal pushback to local progressives .

Both allies and rivals — including Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Alex Padilla — slammed the arrest as political intimidation and a fascist overreach by the Trump-era ICE 

On top of thrusting immigration enforcement into the NYC mayoral race, this arrest underscores a growing showdown between local leaders and federal authority.