New York City mayoral candidate Brad Lander was handcuffed and detained by federal agents Tuesday afternoon while escorting migrants from immigration hearings in Lower Manhattan.
Footage and video of the hectic incident is firing up the third-place candidate’s suddenly energetic campaign, as he shows himself taking on an issue that’s central to President Donald Trump’s political agenda.
“I’m not obstructing, I’m standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant,” the candidate says in the video.
Lander, the New York City comptroller, was at 26 Federal Plaza in downtown Manhattan on Tuesday morning to observe an immigration hearing when he walked out of the courtroom locking arms with a Yoruba-speaking immigrant, according to Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette.
When federal agents moved to detain the immigrant in the hallway outside the courtroom, Lander asked for a judicial warrant. The agents refused to produce one and put him into custody.
Video taken by Lander’s press secretary showed a chaotic scuffle as agents whisked the immigrant into an elevator before tussling with Lander and placing him into cuffs.
Barnette said it showed how her husband would serve as mayor. “This is one more example of Brad’s values,” she said. “This is one more example of what he does and what he will keep doing.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read the full Politico report.
