Brad Lander, New York City's former comptroller, goes to trial Wednesday in federal court following his arrest at an immigration detention facility last September. The Democrat, now running for Congress in a lower Manhattan and northwest Brooklyn district, was taken into custody at 26 Federal Plaza during an attempt to inspect conditions in ICE holding rooms.
Lander and 10 other elected officials arrived at the facility on September 18, 2025, intent on verifying that federal authorities were complying with a judge's order to improve detention conditions. Manhattan federal court judge Lewis Kaplan had just ruled the day before that the Department of Homeland Security and ICE must address what he called unconstitutional and inhumane treatment of detained immigrants in the building's hold rooms.
The officials gained entry to 26 Federal Plaza by identifying themselves to security. When they reached the 10th floor, a Federal Protective Service officer blocked access to the hold rooms, even as Lander cited the judge's decision and invoked their responsibility as elected officials to investigate.
According to court documents filed by Lander's legal team, the group was told they could remain in the hallway but could not bang on doors. They complied, then sat down and began chanting, singing, and speaking about why they were there. After less than a minute of continued protest, an officer warned them they were violating federal law and would be arrested if they did not leave. Within 33 seconds, FPS officers began arrests.
The charge against Lander alleged he blocked entrances, foyers, and corridors. Federal prosecutors offered to drop the violation in October, but only if Lander agreed to refrain from protesting inside federal buildings for six months. He refused the deal.
Conditions at the facility had grown dire. Before the Trump administration's immigration enforcement crackdown, immigrants were rarely detained in 26 Federal Plaza hold rooms for more than a day, with an average stay of six hours from January through April 2025. By mid-June, the mean detention time had ballooned to 103 hours. ICE had begun holding detainees for three days or longer, far exceeding the previous 12-hour maximum, and longer still in what officials termed exceptional circumstances.
Lander's attorneys have characterized the arrest as a stark departure from decades of federal practice, noting that immigration courthouses had traditionally been spaces largely off-limits to ICE enforcement actions. The shift reflects an aggressive posture under the new administration toward both undocumented immigrants and local officials attempting oversight.
The trial comes as Lander seeks the Democratic nomination for the congressional seat currently held by Dan Goldman in a heavily Democratic district.
Author James Rodriguez: "Lander's refusal to accept the government's offer speaks volumes about where this fight stands, and Wednesday's trial will reveal how far federal officials are willing to push back against elected oversight."
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