Hochul Promotes Immigration Funding Amid Lander’s ICE Arrest

New York City, NY – Governor Kathy Hochul used a press conference on Tuesday to highlight the state’s funding for immigrant legal services, which was already included in the budget approved earlier this year. The governor spoke outside a Manhattan courthouse shortly after City Comptroller Brad Lander was briefly detained by ICE agents.

“(Immigrants) don’t have the attention, they don’t have the lawyers, and that’s why the state of New York is providing $50 million to cover legal services for people who are finding themselves in this situation,” Hochul stated. However, it was later clarified that the actual amount allocated in the state budget is $64.2 million.

Lander, who is also a candidate for mayor, had been advocating for more financial support for immigrant legal services. He and his allies have been calling on state officials for an additional $134 million to better address the needs of immigrants. Lander was detained while escorting migrants from court hearings.

The detainment sparked a wave of support from progressives, leading Hochul to defend Lander by denouncing his arrest as “bulls—t.” After about four hours, Lander was released from custody without charges. Video footage from the arrest did not appear to substantiate claims of assault against him.

Hochul’s office confirmed that the immigration funding was previously announced on May 9 and added, “There is no new allocated amount.”

In a separate incident, Reps. Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler attempted to visit the same courthouse on Wednesday to investigate conditions for immigrants being held there. They reported that some individuals had to sleep on benches for days. Goldman asserted that their constitutional oversight authority allows them unannounced access to ICE facilities. Despite their attempts, they were denied entry.

Goldman remarked, “It is unacceptable that they denied our access,” questioning the treatment of immigrants detained at the facility. The lawmakers were informed by ICE Deputy Field Director Bill Joyce that some immigrants had indeed been forced to sleep on the floor.

Although the congressmen faced criticism for their visit, a spokesperson for Goldman argued that they had provided ICE with advance notice and were not trying to capitalize on Lander’s recent arrest.

Lander was cuffed during protests against ICE while trying to assist an immigrant named Eduardo, who had just attended a court hearing. Hochul criticized the escalating deportation tactics from the previous administration, stating the current approach focuses on numbers over individual cases.

ICE insiders have expressed discontent with the directive to intensify operations, indicating a shift in focus away from serious offenders. “All that matters is numbers, pure numbers. Quantity over quality,” one officer shared.