Jewish NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander arrested at immigration court

New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents at an immigration court after he linked arms with a person authorities were attempting to detain.

Lander, as city comptroller, is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the city.

A reporter with The Associated Press and other journalists witnessed Lander’s arrest at a federal building in Manhattan, the latest confrontation between US agents and a Democratic politician objecting to the Trump administration’s mass detention and deportation programs.

Lander was released from custody after a few hours. The US attorney’s office says it is investigating his actions and will decide later whether to charge him with a crime. The immigrant, escorted out of the courtroom by Lander, is also arrested.

Lander had spent the morning observing immigration court hearings and tells an AP reporter he was there to “accompany” some immigrants out of the building.

Comptroller Brad lander was just arrested by ICE at federal plassa. pic.twitter.com/eVkdGwkn8f

— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 17, 2025

In a statement, US Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin says Lander “was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.”

After his release, Lander exits the building holding hands with his wife and accompanied by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, to the cheers of a gathered crowd. He tells reporters that all he was trying to do was hold the arm of the man being detained and “certainly did not” assault an officer.

“I am happy to report that I am just fine. I lost a button,” Lander says, adding that he planned to return to the immigration court again as a form of nonviolent way of standing up to Trump’s immigration policies.

Lander is a candidate in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary, which will likely decide the next mayor of the mostly Democratic city. Early voting in the contest is underway, and the election is next week. Lander is in third place in most polls.

Lander identifies as a progressive Zionist and is a well-known figure in leftist Jewish circles in the city.