A New York judge ruled Thursday that congressional hopeful Brad Lander is not guilty of misdemeanor charges against him related to a September inspection attempt at an immigration holding facility in Manhattan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel genuinely moved today by the rule of law \u2014 by the excellent legal counsel I had, by the thoughtful consideration by the judge, and by the simple knowledge that I could enter and leave the court safely,\u201d Lander, a close political ally of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, said at a news conference after the hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a blessing we don\u2019t always appreciate, and one that is being utterly denied to our immigrant neighbors by Trump and ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n
The one-day bench trial took place in New York City on Wednesday. Lander was accused of unreasonably obstructing the usual use of the elevator lobby at 26 Federal Plaza.<\/p>\n
Lander, along with 75 others \u2014 including nearly a dozen other elected officials \u2014 were arrested<\/a> at 26 Federal Plaza in downtown Manhattan as they attempted to inspect the living conditions for those being held in immigration detention in the building.<\/p>\n The group attempted the inspection after a New York federal judge ordered that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement must improve the conditions for immigrants being held in the city.<\/p>\n \u201cAll we want at 26 Federal Plaza is for everybody facing removal proceedings by our government to have the same access to the rule of law as I had in this trial. I will keep showing up to protect our immigrant neighbors and insist that the rule of law apply to everyone,\u201d Lander added on Thursday.<\/p>\n Lander denied a plea deal and requested to proceed to trial over the charges; he said in a November statement.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to keep standing up and fighting back,\u201d Lander said at a news conference ahead of the trial on Wednesday. \u201cThat\u2019s what tens of thousands of people around the country are doing today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s most important is that we keep showing up and bearing witness,\u201d Lander continued.<\/p>\n The former New York City comptroller was also taken into custody last June<\/a> in connection with a different incident at a federal courthouse in the city. He said at the time that he was there to act as an advocate for those in immigration detention.<\/p>\n Lander was arrested and accused of \u201cassaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer,\u201d DHS said in a social media post at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n When he was released, Lander denied assaulting law enforcement.<\/p>\n Lander, the former New York City comptroller who lost his bid for mayor last year, is now hoping to represent New York\u2019s 10th congressional district<\/a> in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n