New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested Tuesday by ICE agents at a Manhattan immigration court while accompanying a man exiting a hearing. According to The Wall Street Journal, federal officials allege Lander assaulted law enforcement and obstructed an officer. Lander was linking arms with a man exiting immigration court when agents swarmed him without identifying themselves, according to his wife, Meg Barnette. He was released the same day without charges. Lander denied the allegations and said he was detained for refusing to let go of the man without seeing a judicial warrant. DHS defended the arrest as a matter of officer safety. Lander is among several Democratic officials detained while opposing the Trump administration’s immigration policies. ICE has increased enforcement by arresting people attending immigration court hearings.
