Brad Lander Wins Not-Guilty Verdict in ICE Protest Case After 6-Hour Bench Trial
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 11
Brad Lander Wins Not-Guilty Verdict in ICE Protest Case After 6-Hour Bench Trial
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 11
Summary
A federal magistrate judge cleared Brad Lander of a misdemeanor charge tied to a September protest at New York’s 26 Federal Plaza, where he and other elected officials blocked an elevator area used by ICE.
Six hours of bench-trial arguments turned on whether Lander had "purposefully" obstructed the 10th-floor lobby; prosecutors sought no jail time and failed to prove liability.
Lander had pushed for a trial rather than a quick resolution, saying discovery could expose ICE tactics at the facility and help spotlight detainees' treatment and access to due process.
The acquittal lands in a heated Democratic House primary against Rep. Dan Goldman, with immigration enforcement and how aggressively to confront Trump-era deportation policies now central campaign issues.
The case follows a separate June incident at the same building in which federal agents detained Lander while he escorted an immigration-court defendant; prosecutors later dropped those charges.