As the administration of US President Donald Trump intensifies its confrontational rhetoric toward local officials over immigration raids, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has been detained by federal agents at an immigration court.
When a defendant was detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Lander, a key Democratic candidate for mayor, was escorting him out of court on Tuesday in an effort to observe immigration hearings and promote immigration-related legal services.
A post on Lander’s social media account claims to be written by his wife and that “he was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE” while escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza.
The Trump administration has recently taken a harsh stance against Democratic officials who criticize its aggressive approach to immigration enforcement. In recent weeks, federal immigration agencies have increased concerns about immigration courts, which critics claim deters immigrants from taking part in the court system.
In response to protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, which included Trump’s threat to have California Governor Gavin Newsom arrested, Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage last week when California Senator Alex Padilla was handcuffed after being attempted to interrupt a news conference by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Other mayoral candidates have backed Lander, with former state governor Andrew Cuomo calling it “thuggery” by the Trump administration and New York State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani calling the arrest “terrorists across the country.”
Before agents, some of whom were wearing face masks, physically separate the two and handcuff the comptroller, Lander appeared to be trying to hold arms with the defendant in a video of Lander’s arrest. Lopez frequently requests a judicial warrant, which is sometimes necessary for immigration arrests. A police officer presents a paper with the word “warranty,” but he does not turn it over.
Federal agents can be heard cuffing Lander and telling him he is “obstructing” as he says they “don’t have authority to arrest US citizens.”
Lander’s wife Meg Barnette said at a press conference shortly after the incident that “they said, “You’re obstructing.” I was “pushed out of the way.”
The lawyer’s attorney, Barnette, remarked, “What I saw was shocking and unacceptable.” The rule of law was not what I saw today, the statement read.
Source: Aljazeera
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