Former Comptroller Brad Lander Arrested During ICE Protest, Later Acquitted

Brad Lander, former New York City Comptroller, was arrested on September 18, 2025, while attempting to inspect holding rooms for detained immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza, the city’s public‐court building. The protest, which involved Lander and about a dozen officials, aimed to expose alleged overcrowding and unsafe conditions in those rooms. When denied entrance, they sat on the 10th‑floor elevator bank, and police detained them for blocking an elevator. Lander was ticketed on a misdemeanor charge of blocking the elevator. In a one‑day trial, a Manhattan federal court magistrate found that Lander did not act intentionally to obstruct but was exhausted and in a resigned state. The judge acquitted him of the misdemeanor. Lander appeared in Manhattan court on June 11, 2026, to address the charges. The incident underscores how local political actors, immigration enforcement, and public protest intersect in contemporary New York politics. Lander remains a candidate for the congressional seat held by incumbent Democrat Dan Goldman.