Brad Lander’s moment

Struggling to break through as a front-runner in the New York City mayoral race, Comptroller Brad Lander on Tuesday finally captured the attention of his competitors and the hotly contested attention of Democratic voters in the city.

The thing that did it? Being detained by ICE agents in immigration court.

Lander wasn’t the first New York City mayoral candidate to get arrested in a highly publicized way. Bill de Blasio was arrested in July 2013 advocating to save a Brooklyn hospital. In the summer of 2021, longshot candidate Shaun Donovan was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest. Eric Adams’ top adviser Frank Carone implied Lander was seeking attention disingenuously, tweeting “Academy award goes to…”

But Lander’s detainment – which lasted several hours but resulted in no charges – was not a political stunt, he said. “I did not come today expecting to get arrested,” Lander told reporters after his release. It was Lander’s third time in recent weeks observing immigration court proceedings and, alongside other advocates, trying to help escort immigrants out of their hearings to avoid being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who have begun positioning themselves in the hallways of immigration court in plainclothes and sometimes face masks to make arrests. In recent months, routine court visits have become terrifying ordeals for many immigrants trying to comply with court dates.

Though Lander was released without injury or criminal trouble, he said he felt like he failed because the man who he was trying to help when he was detained by ICE agents remains in federal custody and doesn’t have the same resources to fight for his release or defend himself.

Lander’s detainment nonetheless had the political effect of upstaging other candidates in the waning days of the Democratic primary, including a large rally held by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Manhattan. It also sent several of his competitors – and many other elected officials – flocking to 26 Federal Plaza throughout the afternoon to denounce his detainment – with the exception of Cuomo.

While several thousand union workers attended Cuomo’s rally at Union Square park – many cheering loudly as the former governor touted his commitment to “building the best New York has ever been” – Lander’s arrest loomed large over proceedings with much of the city’s press corps occupied further downtown. Stories about Lander’s arrest ate up much of the day’s news cycle. 

Speaking to reporters after the rally concluded, Cuomo condemned Lander’s arrest and – signaling that he’s also focused on the general election in November – blamed New York City Mayor Eric Adams for “handing over the keys to Donald Trump.”

After his own smaller campaign stop in Astoria earlier in the morning, Mamdani was one of the first mayoral candidates to appear at 26 Federal Plaza to call for Lander’s release. “This is an example of how we can stand up for immigrant New Yorkers,” Mamdani told reporters of Lander’s work.

There’s roughly a week to go until the June 24 primary and tensions are high. As recent polling shows the crowded Democratic primary increasingly narrowing to a two-man contest between Cuomo and Mamdani, the other candidates are fighting to increase their standing. It’s likely Lander’s arrest will benefit him in the race – Trump and his immigration agenda are highly unpopular in the city – but it’s perhaps too late to have a consequential effect on who wins. 

Lander was eventually released shortly after 4pm on Tuesday. He was accompanied by Gov. Kathy Hochul, who arrived at the federal immigration court to push for his release.

A highly-anticipated Marist poll is also expected to drop Wednesday morning, giving candidates and their supporters greater insight into where the race currently stands. The poll, which comes about a month and a half after their first look at the race was released, is widely seen as the gold-standard for political polling.