A federal judge decided on Thursday to acquit former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander of a federal misdemeanor charge filed over his involvement in an anti-ICE protest at a Manhattan immigration court last year.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Ricardo declared the defendant, who was accused of obstructing an elevator and federal law enforcement at the Federal Plaza Immigration Court in New York, not guilty.
In September, Lander and about a dozen other politicians protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency had been holding detainees at its office inside the courthouse building. Lander was present to inspect the cells in which ICE officers were keeping immigrants. He was one of 11 elected officials arrested.
The incident was separate from a June 2025 protest at the same immigration court building, where Lander was briefly arrested after he linked arms with an immigrant whom ICE officers sought to detain. He was eventually released without charges.
At the time, Lander served as New York City’s comptroller and was running for mayor. He is now running in the June 23 Democratic primary for New York’s 10th Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). Goldman is seeking reelection for a third term.
Ricardo’s verdict came after a one-day bench trial on Wednesday. After rejecting a plea deal, Lander personally requested a trial to see additional information on the immigration enforcement tactics that he sought to challenge through discovery in court.
“All we want at 26 Federal Plaza is for everybody facing removal proceedings by our government to have the same access to the rule of law as I had in this trial,” he said after the ruling. “That’s why I took this case to trial, and that’s why, whatever happens on June 23rd, I will keep showing up to protect our immigrant neighbors and insist that the rule of law apply to everyone.”
Lander also celebrated the not-guilty verdict on social media, calling his win “a loss for the fascists.” Later Thursday, the congressional candidate turned his attention toward early voting, which starts this Saturday.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, along with Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), all of whom are strong progressives in the Democratic Party, have endorsed Lander for Congress. Meanwhile, Goldman is backed by establishment figures, such as Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY).
Mamdani and Lander have recently been publicly associating themselves with each other as the primary election nears. Last week, they starred together in a basketball-themed campaign advertisement ahead of the New York Knicks’ appearance in the NBA Finals, encouraging voter turnout for several progressive allies of the mayor.
MAMDANI TEAMS UP WITH PROGRESSIVE ALLIES FOR BASKETBALL-THEMED CAMPAIGN AD AHEAD OF KNICKS GAME
Lander dedicated a portion of his pre-verdict comments to reporters talking about the tight 107-106 Knicks victory against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
“I was so worried about the Knicks last night that it’s hard to worry about what happens in here,” he said jokingly. “That was incredible. I was so anxious. My God, what a great win, what a great team, what a great city. And I had a great legal team as well.”