New York mayor candidate Brad Lander arrested when visiting immigration court

Brad Lander, one of the Democrats in the race to become mayor of New York, was arrested on Tuesday at a court in Manhattan where he was present to ‘guide’ the building after their session. That writes the AP news agency, of which a journalist was present at the arrest. Lander was arrested by federal agents of the Ice Aliens Police when he attached his arms to that of a man trying to keep the authorities. The man he had attached to was also arrested.

On images that go on social media you can see that Lander says during his arrest: « I am not in the way, I am in the hallway here. I asked for a judicial order. You do not have the authority to arrest American citizens who ask for a judicial order. »

According to Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Interior Security, Lander has been arrested for attacking law enforcers and hindering a federal agent, she tells Reuters news agency. « It is wrong that politicians who want a higher function undermine the safety of law enforcement officers to get a viral moment. »

Hard deportation policy

The situation surrounding immigration and asylum policy has been sharp in the United States since President Donald Trump raised the pressure on the Federal Aliens Police ICE to detect and arrest illegal immigrants. In Los Angeles, for more than a week has been demonstrated against Trumps hard deportation policy and the operations of ICE, which regularly take place in the vicinity of court halls where immigrants are treated.

After the arrest, people wife, Meg Barnette, said at a press conference that she and her husband « were flooded by federal agents. » « What I saw today was not a constitutional state, » she continued. Democratic Congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the arrest of Lander « political intimidation. » Demonstrants gathered for the ICE building in New York. They demand the release of Lander and carry signs with texts such as « immigrants are New York ».

The arrest of Lander is not on its own: More than a month ago, Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, was arrested on suspicion of a house breach at a detention center for immigrants in his city in New Jersey. After the same visit, Baraka’s colleague Lamonica Mciver was accused of attacking and hindering federal agents. The Democratic senator Alex Padilla was worked on the ground in Los Angeles last week and fascinated by security after trying to ask the secretary of the Department of Interior Security a question about the ICE raids.

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