New York City’s chief fiscal officer Brad Lander, who was arrested two months ago protesting conditions at an immigration holding facility, chose Tuesday to go to trial on a misdemeanor obstruction charge rather than accept a deal that would have made the case go away in six months.
“I want a trial,” said Lander, the city’s comptroller and an ally of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
He spoke after emerging from a federal courtroom in Manhattan, where he’d waited to hear what action authorities would take over his Sept. 18 protest alongside several lawmakers. He vowed to keep protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and said a trial would “bring to light” what federal authorities are doing.
It’s not the first time Lander, a liberal Democrat who ran for mayor this year, has been arrested over this issue. He was taken into custody in June at an immigration court in Manhattan after he linked arms with a person authorities were trying to detain. The arrest elevated the star power of the typically even-keeled politician known for a technocratic style.
He and Mamdani cross endorsed one another in the final weeks of the primary, and Lander is now rumored to be considering a run for Congress.
Lander was singled out by Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement after his arrest. She called him “another sanctuary politician pulling a stunt in attempt to get their 15 minutes of fame while endangering DHS personnel and detainees,” referring to so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents in a handful of jurisdictions nationwide.
A spokesperson for federal prosecutors declined to comment.
Lander was among 11 officials arrested and given summonses before their release after they tried to inspect holding rooms on the 10th floor at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, which houses an immigration court, the FBI’s New York field office and other federal offices.
The building has become a focal point amid the ongoing federal immigration operations, which President Donald Trump says are needed to fight what he calls runaway crime.
The officials said they wanted to see if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was complying with a judge’s ruling requiring the agency to limit capacity, ensure cleanliness and provide sleeping mats, among other remedies. Some of the other officials have accepted the deferred prosecution deal.
The charging document against Lander accused him of “blocking entrances, foyers and corridors” in the building. He said he planned to go back to the facility later this week, along with others, to continue protests.
Accepting the deal would have dropped the obstruction charge if he did not commit a crime on federal property for six months. The charge, he said, carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in prison.