Brad Lander returns to observe immigration court after ICE arrest
New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander returned to observe federal immigration court Friday, just days after his dramatic arrest.
Lander was back at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, where he was arrested earlier this week, to observe the court proceedings. He then held a briefing about what he said he witnessed.
"What we watched again today is just a deeply dehumanizing process," he said. "I did not get arrested or detained today, but we saw three people removed by the same non-uniformed, masked ICE agents who gave no reason for their removal, ripped them out of the arms of escorts in a proceeding that bears no resemblance to justice."
The comptroller also briefly spoke as he entered the building, saying he will continue showing up to make sure due process rights are protected.
"As I hope people saw in the video, I tried to stay calm and just ask for the warrant, 'why is he being arrested,' and to try to be present for him, and that was what I was focused on," Lander said. "It's frightening what is happening to our democracy. I don't feel scared for myself, but I do feel scared for Edgardo and I feel scared for the rule of law."
"What we witnessed inside this courtroom was not justice"
State Sen. Jessica Ramos also attended immigration hearings at 26 Federal Plaza on Friday morning, she says to help migrants know their rights.
"What we witnessed inside this courtroom was not justice," she said.
While there, Ramos' team took a video of a couple being separated. Ramos said a man was detained and his pregnant wife's immigration case is still pending.
"A woman crying as her husband was being torn," Ramos said.
Immigration attorney Naresh Gehi says migrants facing deportation have the right to tell a judge, with help from a translator, why they should be allowed to stay in the United States.
"The judge wants to see you and he wants to ask you that, tell me why you should not be deported," he said. "If you read the mantle of ICE, their job is to detain people where the law has been violated and if the judge orders ... ICE officers cannot just touch anybody."
"None of them were given an opportunity to speak to the credible fear that they have of persecution if deported back to their countries," Lander said Friday.
CBS News New York reached out to the Southern District of New York, who had no comment. We also reached out to ICE but did not hear back.
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander arrested by ICE
Lander has been observing immigration court on separate occasions for several weeks, before things boiled over Tuesday.
He and his wife said they were escorting a man named Edgardo from the courtroom after his case was dismissed, which they said then left him with no status in the U.S., meaning he could be subject to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement detention and deportation.
Video showed masked agents try to take Edgardo into custody, as Lander asked to see their judicial warrant. Lander was then pinned against a wall and placed into handcuffs.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that he was arrested for "assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer," but he was released hours later and the charges were dropped.
"The rule of law is not fine"
"I will be fine, but Edgardo is not going to be fine, and the rule of law is not fine, and our constitutional democracy is not fine," Lander said to a crowd of supporters after he was released.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul went to immigration court to call for his release, as did several of his fellow mayoral candidates, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
"This is a sorry day for New York and our country," said Hochul. "The video is shocking. I knew I needed to come down here immediately [to] check on [his] whereabouts and do what I could to intervene."
The next day, two members of New York's congressional delegation paid a visit to 26 Federal Plaza and were able to observe immigration court but said they were denied access to an ICE field office in the building.
CBS News New York asked DHS where the investigation into Lander stands and if he will be charged.
"New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer. Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers face a 500% 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," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
The comptroller is among 11 Democratic candidates running in a crowded primary election. Early voting wraps up this weekend, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.
