A NEW York City elected official has been arrested at a Manhattan courthouse by masked agents.
Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running for New York City Mayor, was cuffed while observing an immigration hearing on Tuesday morning.
Lander got into a brief scuffle with ICE agents as they arrested a defendant who had just been in a federal immigration hearing, the Associated Press reported.
The man was being led through a tight courthouse hallway through a crowd of people by uniformed agents while Lander walked close behind with his hand on the defendant’s shoulder, video taken by amNY captured.
Before the incident, Lander told reporters that he was sitting in the federal hearings so he could walk with the defendants after their appointments.
As the man was being led into an elevator, Lander could be heard demanding to see a judicial warrant, and refused to let go of the defendant.
Lander’s face turned red as he yelled out and struggled against the officers who carried him over to a nearby wall.
“You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens,” Lander yelled while he was being taken away.
“I’m not obstructing. I’m standing right here in the hallway.”