ICE Arrests Democratic NYC Mayoral Candidate After He Assaults Agents, DHS Says

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained New York City Comptroller Brad Lander after he assaulted Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers Tuesday, DHS told the Daily Caller.

“New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Caller.

“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. No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences,” she concluded.

Lander’s wife claimed he was at the Midtown Manhattan courthouse to escort a defendant out of immigration court. (RELATED: Mostly White Anti-ICE Protesters Clash With Black And Hispanic Pro-Cop Demonstrators In Manhattan)

“Do you have a judicial warrant?” Lander, who is running in New York’s Democratic Mayoral primary, asked ICE agents as they pulled him through a crowded hallway, according to video from Lander’s wife.

“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Lander repeated as they handcuffed him.

Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad’s wife.

While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.

This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely. pic.twitter.com/jekaDFjsT1

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) June 17, 2025

Lander is the latest in a long line of Democrats detained over immigration battles.

ICE detained Newark, New Jersey Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka in May after he trespassed at an ICE detention center and ignored multiple warnings to leave.

Prosecutors also indicted Democratic New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver in early June for assaulting and obstructing immigration officers the same day as Baraka’s arrest.

Most recently, Democratic California Sen. Alex Padilla went viral after Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Secret Service personnel dragged him out of a press conference after he approached DHS Secretary Kristi Noem while wearing plain clothes and shouting.

Lander is far behind frontrunning former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a recent Manhattan Institute simulation of the city’s ranked choice Democratic primary.

He also lags far behind Democratic New York State Rep. Zohran Mahdani, a far-left self-avowed socialist who got 30 percent of the first round votes in the simulation. Mahdani ranks just behind Cuomo, who leads with 43 percent in the first round.

The simulation places Lander fourth in the ranked choice polling at 6 percent in the first round, just behind New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who received 7 percent.

The Daily Caller reached out to Lander’s campaign for comment but did not hear back by publication.