On September 18, 2025, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and a group of state and local officials were arrested during a protest at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates detention facilities. The officials sought to inspect the conditions of the 10th-floor holding cells, which a federal judge had recently condemned as inhumane. The protest was organized to ensure compliance with a court order mandating improvements to the facility. Despite their efforts, the group was denied entry and subsequently detained by NYPD and federal agents. The incident marked the latest clash between federal authorities and Democratic politicians critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Earlier in the year, Lander had been arrested in the same building while assisting an individual targeted by ICE. The protest also included a separate demonstration led by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, where dozens of activists blocked the building’s garage entrance, chanting in support of immigrants. Organizers reported that over 75 people were detained across both gatherings. A federal court order issued the previous day had detailed appalling conditions in the detention facility, including overcrowding, unsanitary environments, and a lack of basic hygiene supplies. ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, stated that the detainees included individuals facing deportation for criminal convictions. The building was later placed under lockdown due to a bomb threat. No charges were reported to have been filed against those arrested.