New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has been arrested for "assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer," the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday — the latest in a series of high-profile clashes between immigration officials and Democratic politicians.
The charges stem from an episode at a federal courthouse in the city, where Lander and his wife said they were serving as advocates for defendants in immigration court.
Kat Capossela, Lander's mayoral campaign press secretary, told NBC News in an email that “Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE,” a reference to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, after “escorting a defendant out of immigration court." And Lander's wife, Meg Barnette, during a press conference shortly after her husband’s arrest, criticized the Trump administration's handling of cases involving immigrants.
In a brief statement on social media detailing the charges against Lander, the Department of Homeland Security said: "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."
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