Brad Lander arrest is ‘abuse of power’ by ICE and feds, NYC mayoral candidates and organizations say

New York City officials and legal organizations were swift to condemn City Comptroller and mayoral hopeful Brad Lander’s arrest on Tuesday afternoon — decrying the move as an “abuse of power” by ICE and other federal agents involved.

The comptroller was taken into custody by federal agents while observing immigration hearings at 26 Federal Plaza. Lander had attempted to escort an individual past federal agents — representing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, and the Treasury Department — after their deportation case was dismissed in court.

Fellow candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary also expressed their outrage on social media as news of Lander’s arrest spread across the city.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams wrote in a post on X that Lander’s arrest and the “continued attacks on New Yorkers by ICE are unacceptable and an abuse of power.”

“Comptroller Lander should be released and ICE should stop undermining public safety in our city by targeting New Yorkers going about their lives,” Adams wrote. “Masked agents terrorizing our communities and families makes our city less safe. Unlawfully arresting witnesses and public officials is an intimidation tactic. We will always be a city of immigrants that stands up for what’s right.”

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Lander’s arrest marked another example of “extreme thuggery” by both ICE and the Trump administration, which has surged its immigration enforcement operations in recent months to great extremes nationwide.

“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. Fear of separation, fear of being taken from their schools, fear of being detained without just cause, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running for mayor in the Democratic primary, wrote in a statement. “This is not who we are. This must stop, and it must stop now.”

Cuomo also blamed Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent, for part of Lander’s arrest.

“Make no mistake: this kind of conduct is the direct result of Mayor Eric Adams handing the keys of our great City over to Donald Trump,” Cuomo wrote. “Comptroller Brad Lander was doing absolutely nothing wrong when he was illegally detained and he must be released.”

The former governor has increasingly emphasized throughout his campaign the need for the next mayor to be tough on President Donald Trump, asserting that Trump has “declared war” on New York City and cities across the United States.

Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens), another mayoral candidate, condemned the arrest in a post on X .

“This is fascism and all New Yorkers must speak in one voice. Release him now,” Mamdani wrote. Lander and Mamdani cross-endorsed one another in the upcoming Democratic primary election.

Mamdani released a separate statement calling the arrest the “result of the authoritarian crisis New York City faces under Donald Trump and all those who enable him.”

“Standing up for our immigrant neighbors should be celebrated, not condemned,” Mamdani’s statement reads. “All New Yorkers must speak in one voice and share one message: release Brad now. We will not rest or grow quiet until Brad—and the immigrant communities who call New York City home—are safe.”

Kayla Mamelak, Adams’ press secretary, wrote in a statement to amNewYork that “today should not be about Brad Lander.”

“It’s about making sure all New Yorkers — regardless of their documentation status — feel safe enough to use public resources, like dialing 911, sending their kids to school, going to the hospital, or attending court appearances, and do not instead hide in the shadows,” Mamelak wrote.

Adams said later Tuesday afternoon that Lander’s protest of the ICE raid “was more politics instead of protecting people.”

“It’s unfortunate that he took that action, because that is not the role of the elected official, what he did today,” Adams said.

New York Times City Hall Bureau Chief Emma Fitzsimmons reported on X Tuesday afternoon that Curtis Sliwa, the main Republican candidate in the mayoral primary, called the arrest a political stunt in an interview.

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed Lander had been arrested “for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer,” though video at the scene shows no definitive evidence that the comptroller assaulted any of the heavily armed, masked officers.

Lander arrest ‘profoundly unacceptable’

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams demanded Lander’s release in a statement and condemned ICE’s increasingly aggressive tactics.

“ICE appears to have detained a citywide elected official, an American citizen,” Williams’ statement reads. “I demand the Comptroller’s immediate release – he was working to ensure that New Yorkers’ dignity, rights, and humanity were upheld. With Donald Trump and his allies working to disappear our immigrant neighbors, we all have a moral obligation to act against immorality.”

Williams and Lander each serve in watchdog positions in the city government, with the comptroller overseeing the city’s fiscal health and acting as an independent auditor and the public advocate investigating resident complaints and suggesting solutions to inefficacy in government.

“ICE’s conduct is appalling, and the Comptroller’s is inspiring. We need leadership that will use the power and voice they have – standing up for the most vulnerable people in our city against oppression and harm. Every leader of conscience should speak out against this attempt by ICE to silence dissent and deny human and legal rights,” Williams wrote.

Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that Tuesday’s arrest is “profoundly unacceptable.”

“Arresting Comptroller Lander for the simple act of standing up for immigrants and their civil rights is a shocking abuse of power,” James said. “No one should face fear and intimidation in a courthouse, and this is a grotesque escalation of tensions. The administration’s rampant targeting of New Yorkers only makes our communities less safe.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx) called the arrest “political intimidation” in a post on Bluesky .

“ICE just arrested Brad Lander, the NYC Comptroller and one of the leading candidates for Mayor, without grounds,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “He was conducting routine immigration court work, escorting individuals from hearings. He asked ICE for their warrant – well within his legal rights.”

At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Governor Kathy Hochul called the arrest “bullshit.”

“How dare they take an elected official who’s been going down there for weeks to escort people who are afraid to walk into a courthouse in the United States of America?” Hocul said, according to a video of the press conference. “What the hell is happening to this country?”

Hochul arrived at 26 Federal Plaza just after 3 p.m., where she spoke with Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette. Throughout the afternoon, Barnette has posted updates to Lander’s account on X regarding his detention. A group of elected officials and local advocates remained outside the building as of about 3:30 p.m., calling for Lander’s release and speaking to members of the press.

Calling for justice

Lander has joined several local officials in condemning ICE raids at immigration court houses, where individuals potentially facing deportation and family separation attend routine immigration hearings. As the frequency and intensity of ICE raids at local immigration court houses have ramped up, Lander has taken to attending hearings as a Friend of the Court, a program that registers volunteers to attend immigration hearings and provide relevant information for individuals and families facing deportation.

When agents attempted to pull Lander away from the individual he had been escorting, Lander said, “Show me your warrant, show me your badge.” Then, one agent said, “Take him in.” Federal agents proceeded to forcibly detain Lander. While in custody, the comptroller is with his NYPD detail and two attorneys.

ICE’s arrest of Lander drew the ire of local legal groups, with the New York Civil Liberties Union quickly condemning the detention as authoritarian.

“ICE arresting Brad Lander for asking questions is a stunning abuse of power and a threat to our democracy,” the NYCLU wrote in a statement. “Arresting a public official, the duly-elected comptroller of the City of New York, for asking questions is dangerous intimidation and shows a wanton disregard for the will of the people of New York. It sends an unmistakably authoritarian message – that ICE doesn’t care about the rule of law and that anyone exercising their right to challenge ICE and speak up for immigrants will be punished.”

The Legal Aid Society commented on the arrest, condemning ICE’s tactics.

“The Legal Aid Society continues to forcefully condemn ICE’s cruel tactics of ambushing and detaining New Yorkers at their Immigration Court hearings and ICE check-ins, undermining due process and instilling fear in immigrant communities,” Legal Aid’s statement reads. “We also condemn the federal government’s targeting of New York’s Protect Our Courts Act, which ensures that ICE cannot bring these violent, warrantless arrest practices to New York’s state courthouses.”

Last week, the Department of Justice sued New York State over the Protect Our Courts Act, claiming that the law obstructs immigration enforcement. The Protect Our Courts Act blocks immigration officials from arresting people at or near New York courthouses. 26 Federal Plaza, where Lander was detained, is a federal courthouse and is not protected by the Protect Our Courts Act.

Executive Director of Make the Road Action, Theo Oshiro, also called for Lander’s immediate release in a statement. Make the Road Action advocates for issues in New York relevant to immigrant and working-class communities.

“Brad Lander was wrongly arrested by ICE agents today, all while acting within his right to ask for a judicial warrant from ICE agents who have been handcuffing and detaining immigrants in our courthouses,” Oshiro wrote. “This authoritarian tactic by ICE is a clear example of how this agency has gone rogue under this administration. For the past months, ICE has blatantly disregarded immigrants’ rights and has carried out unprecedented arrests of U.S. citizens—with violence and impunity.”