NYC Mayoral Candidate Arrested by ICE Says Agents Feel Overworked
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander has told Newsweek that ICE agents expressed feeling "overworked" shortly after detaining him at a downtown court earlier this week.
"I talked to the ICE agents afterward, and it's clear to me they are being overworked," Lander said in an interview on June 19.
"I asked what their shifts were. And they say, we really don't have shifts anymore," he added.
Lander and other critics called the arrest further evidence of what they described as a drift toward authoritarianism by the Trump administration. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
In response for comment to the suggestion ICE agents are being overworked, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin: "Under Secretary Noem, we are delivering on President Trump's and the American people's mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens to make America safe."
The Context
The White House has directed ICE to conduct 3,000 arrests per day as the administration looks to deport millions of migrants without legal status as part of a hard line mass removal policy. DHS says ICE agents are facing a 413 percent increase in assaults against them.
Meanwhile, ICE has increasingly begun detaining immigrants during their court hearings, sparking protests outside immigration courts across the country, particularly in New York City.
What To Know
Lander was detained by President Donald Trump's immigration enforcers on June 17 at a downtown Manhattan immigration court, while accompanying an immigrant man following a hearing at 26 Federal Plaza.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is placed under arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI agents outside federal immigration court on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in New York.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is placed under arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI agents outside federal immigration court on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in New York.
Olga Fedorova/AP Photo
Footage shows Lander linking arms with the man and appearing to calmly ask ICE agents to produce a judicial warrant before they separated and handcuffed him. ICE accused him of "impeding and assaulting a federal officer."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek in a statement: "New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer."
Lander was released the same day without charges and the incident was condemned by top Democrats including Governor Kathy Hochul. Democrats criticized ICE's conduct, describing it as politically motivated.
'Another Example of Creeping Authoritarianism'
The NYC mayoral candidate said the arrest is "one more example of what creeping authoritarianism looks like.
"Pam Bondi says, the Attorney General says they're looking to, quote, liberate cities from their elected officials. That is the language that fascists use," Lander said.
"Trump and Bondi are frustrated that they're not able to have a higher number of deportations," Lander said.
Lander, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump's immigration policies, was detained following similar incidents. Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver, was last month charged with assault after an alleged physical challenge of law enforcement officers at an immigration detention center. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who tried to join McIver and others on the same oversight visit was also arrested, but a trespass charge was dropped.
Last week California Senator Alex Padilla was arrested and handcuffed at a press event to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about immigration raids.
Lander said: "We need to find ways to object loudly to the erosion of due process and Trump's efforts to undermine the rule of law."
Lander said he's helped several immigrant families leave court freely despite losing their asylum claims, allowing them to return to their loved ones and communities while they determine their next steps.
Lander's Mayoral Chances
Lander is among the 11 candidates vying for the Democratic nominee in the city's mayoral race. He recently cross-endorsed fellow candidate, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in a bid to keep the former Governor out of city hall. Cuomo resigned following accusations of sexual assault during his time as Governor.
A poll conducted by Public Policy Polling on June 6–7 for Democrat Justin Brannan's city comptroller campaign found Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani narrowly leading former Governor Andrew Cuomo in a hypothetical mayoral matchup, 35 percent to 31 percent. The survey of 573 likely voters has a margin of error of 4.1 percent, placing the race within statistical parity.
Despite holding citywide office and running a well-funded campaign, current City Comptroller Lander received just 9 percent support in the poll.
What People Are Saying
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst. 75 percent of ICE arrests are criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges. The shocking story here is that instead of deporting many heinous criminals, the Biden Administration chose to RELEASE these known public safety threats into our communities instead of deporting them. President Trump and Secretary Noem will always fight for the victims of illegal alien crime and their families."
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