Former Comptroller Brad Lander Acquitted in ICE Facility Protest Case
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Former Comptroller Brad Lander Acquitted in ICE Facility Protest Case
- Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was acquitted on June 11, 2026, of charges stemming from a September 2025 protest at a New York ICE facility where 11 elected officials were arrested.
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo for the Southern District of New York ruled that Lander's actions did not indicate a willful obstruction of the elevator.
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Brad Lander, former New York City Comptroller and a Democratic congressional candidate, was found not guilty on June 11, 2026, of a federal misdemeanor charge related to his arrest during a protest at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Manhattan. U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo of the Southern District of New York delivered the verdict after a one-day bench trial.
The charges stemmed from an incident on September 18, 2025, when Lander and ten other elected officials were arrested at 26 Federal Plaza, a building housing immigration courts and an ICE field office. The group was attempting to inspect the conditions of ICE holding cells on the 10th floor amid allegations of overcrowding and squalor. Federal prosecutors accused Lander of intentionally blocking an elevator and causing a disturbance.
Judge Ricardo, however, sided with the defense, stating that Lander’s testimony and video evidence indicated he appeared “tired or resigned” rather than willingly obstructive. The judge noted that the group sat on the floor for more than 20 minutes without being told to move, and