ICE handcuffs NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander

New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was detained Tuesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as he was escorting a defendant out of immigration court, his wife said in a statement.

“While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE,” Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, wrote on X.

“This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely,” Barnette wrote.

ICE did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Video of the incident shows Lander standing outside a courtroom when he is approached by officers, including some wearing masks.

Lander repeatedly asks the officers to show him a judicial warrant before he is handcuffed, per the video posted by Barnette.

Lander is still in custody as of early Tuesday afternoon, Barnette said during a press conference after the incident.

“I am just very aware of how I feel right now watching Brad being taken away and that it’s going to be ok, and for all of those other families in there, they can’t say that,” she said.

Lander is a candidate in next week’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

The incident comes days after police handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., after he was forcibly removed from a press conference that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was holding in Los Angeles.

“If that is what the administration is going to do to a United States senator for having the authority to simply ask a question, imagine what they will do to any American who dares to speak up,” Padilla said during remarks from the Senate floor on Tuesday.

This is a developing story and will be updated.