Statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on Proceeding to Trial for September 18th Arrest at 26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY – Today, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander requested to proceed to federal trial over his September 18th arrest on the tenth floor of 26 Federal Plaza, attempting to conduct oversight of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) makeshift detention facility.
Comptroller Lander released the following statement:
“I requested a trial for myself because I believe the crime is not what I did, but what is happening on the other side of the tenth floor door. ICE agents are abducting our neighbors and trying to hide what is happening from the public, and we’re not letting up. By requesting to proceed to trial, in the same way ICE and DHS can ask me what I was doing in the hallway, I will have the opportunity to question the officers about what they were doing on the tenth floor in that detention facility on that day.”
On September 18, 2025, Comptroller Lander alongside State Senators Jabari Brisport, Gustavo Rivera, Julia Salazar, and Assemblymembers Robert Carroll, Emily Gallagher, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, Marcela Mitaynes, Steven Raga, Tony Simone, and Claire Valdez attempted to conduct oversight of the tenth floor of 26 Federal Plaza. The elected officials went to the tenth floor, attempting to observe whether ICE was complying with an injunction limiting the number of people detained and providing humane conditions, such as clean bedding, hygiene supplies, and the right to engage with an attorney. Today, all ten state legislators received an acquittal contemplating dismissal (ACD), so long as the state legislators are not arrested inside of a federal facility within six months.
Comptroller Lander continued, “Today we got due process; our immigrant neighbors have not. We are using our platform as elected officials to ensure the rule of law.”
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