New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal officers inside a Manhattan immigration court on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for his office.
Multiple videos on social media show Lander being put in handcuffs after officers surrounded him in a hallway at the court building as he’s standing up against a wall next to another man.
One of the videos shows Lander appearing to stand in the way of officers who were trying to arrest a man. As he blocks officers, the officers move in and arrest him following a brief scuffle in which Lander appears to be placed in a chokehold and is then pushed up against a wall, the video shows.
“You don’t have a judicial warrant,” Lander says to the officers as he held on to the man’s arm.
“I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant. Where is it?” Lander says.
Lander, a Democrat was scheduled to hold a noon press conference Tuesday calling for more legal funding for immigrants facing arrest by ICE officers following their court appearances – a practice that has increased significantly across courtrooms in the country in recent weeks.
CNN