Overview

• Lander was seized by ICE agents at Federal Plaza as he escorted a recently released immigration defendant outside the Manhattan court.
• He has been charged with obstructing governmental administration and remains in federal custody pending proceedings.
• Fellow Democrats and local activists have rallied to demand his release and criticize the arrest as an overreach of enforcement authority.
• President Trump’s recent call for intensified ICE operations in Democratic-run cities preceded the detention.
• The incident, unfolding during the New York mayoral primary against Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams, draws parallels to Senator Alex Padilla’s recent forcible removal by law enforcement.