The arrest of the city’s comptroller, Brad Lander, by ICE agents on Tuesday, June 17, caused the outrage of many New Yorkers. However, he was not the only one to be treated with violence by federal officers that day.
Before Lander was handcuffed, our sister publication, Amnewyork, witnessed dozens of ICE hooded agents stopping immigrants in the Federal Building located in the 26th of Federal Plaza, as part of an operation that has been focused on capturing undocumented people just after complying with judicial orders to attend mandatory audiences, without prior notice.
With black balaclavas and caps covering their faces, the agents pounced on visibly confused and terrified immigrants. As in an assembly line, they were waiting armed outside the audience rooms on floors 12 and 14, firmly grabbing the arm to those who had just left the court.
Lawyers present informed Amnewyork that, after closing a case, a person still has a month to appeal. However, ICE is not allowing them to exercise that right or remain free during that time.
Many of those present do not speak English, which prevents them from understanding why they are being arrested by hooded agents.
At alarming moment, a woman begged to free a man by ensuring that he still had legal possibilities of staying in the country. When trying to deliver a folder with documents, an ICE agent violently pushed her to the ground.
Meg Barnette, wife of Brad Lander, witnessed this incident while accompanying her husband to observe the immigration procedures.
“Upon arriving today, the elevator’s doors opened and there were ICE agents ready to climb a man. We prevented him, we block the door. Behind him was a young woman who was clearly close to him and wanted to give him some papers. They told him that he could not do it and pushed her to the ground,” said Barnette. “It was someone she wanted, and it was horrible to witness him.”
Barnette made these statements after her husband was arrested by ICE while trying to accompany another man, identified only as Edgardo, outside the building. He said that ICE was able to use the force against Lander and assault a woman in front of witnesses, he fears what may be happening within the detention centers.
“I am very aware of what I feel now, having seen Brad be taken, knowing that he will be fine, but the other families there cannot say the same,” Barnette said.
After his release that same afternoon, without charges being charged, Lander declared that his concern continued with the man from which he was separated.
“In that elevator they separated me from someone named Edgardo, whom I had just met minutes before. Edgardo is being held by ICE, and will not sleep in his bed tonight,” said the comptroller and current candidate for mayor. “As far as I know, he has no lawyer. The government has taken away its right to due process.”
The video of the control of the comptroller Brad Lander is available on newsy.com.
