Bulwark Takes - Masked ICE Thugs Manhandle And Arrest ANOTHER Dem

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

Tim Miller and Sam Stein talk the shocking footage of NYC Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander being handcuffed by masked ICE agents for trying to help a migrant in court, less than a week after Senator Alex Padilla was similarly handcuffed in LA.

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Hey guys, me Sam Stein, managing editor at the Bullock. I'm joined by Tim Miller. We are here to talk about another Democrat being handcuffed by ICE. It appears to be a weekly routine at this juncture. In this case, it was Brad Lander. He's the New York City Comptroller. He's actually a candidate for mayor. We have that election Democrat primary coming up there. I'll give a little bit of background and Tim, you just take it away. Basically Lander was at an immigration courthouse in lower Manhattan, tried to escort

a migrant out of the building to prevent the migrants arrest. So he was obstructing the act of arresting a migrant. People who are champions of ICE and defenders of Donald Trump will say, well, he deserves it. He's got to come in. He obstructed a federal law enforcement activity and this is what happens. No one's above the law. And yet when you watch this video, it's no less shocking to me. ICE agents were wearing masks, kind of roughing them up. He's asking for a warrant. I don't know what your thoughts are.

Do you want to watch the video first? Yeah, let's watch the video. Okay, watch the video. Yeah, let's watch the video and then I will let go. I would like to see the warrant and then I will let go. Take him in, take him in, take him in, take him in. You don't have the authority to arrest US citizens. You don't have the authority to arrest US citizens. I'm not obstructing, I'm standing right here in the hallway.

I asked to see the judicial warrant. You don't have the authority to arrest US citizens asking for a judicial warrant. Alright, what are your thoughts on this? It's it's horrible. Like it's, uh, and you know, again, like, so what had happened was later linked arms, I guess, with staff and with migrant who again showed up to court. Right. So like the thing that I, that always gets me in all these situations, well, number one is this masking issue, which I want to get to that.

It's crazy. It's crazy. And so I want to get to that. Masking is crazy. Yeah, it's crazy. So I want to get to that. But the other thing that gets to me before we do is like, there's this notion among the immigration hardliners and people in my social media mentions on the ride, mega folks that are like, please, what do you expect? What are you supposed to do?

They broke the laws. That's like, there are a million steps that are available to you between, you know, doing nothing and letting the country, letting anyone into the country with no laws and having total open borders, John Lennon style, and like having masked thugs arrest, uh, and manhandle migrants in the country and elected officials that are advocating for them. Like it's great. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and,

and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, It's not about no one being above the law or whatever. Like there are plenty of situations where people break the law and peace officers or, or, or cops like use their judgment on how to like handle it in that moment. And maybe you can be ticketed or be on probation or get an ankle monitor. There's a gazillion things you can do besides like forcibly grabbing somebody and manhandling them and handcuffing them and sending masked agents into an immigration courthouse. Like the fucking judge can handle this. Like in the

court, like if the guy is supposed to be deported, you can get a letter that's like, hey, you're supposed to be deported in seven days, report to place X for your deportation. And if they don't show up to that, then you can fucking go to their house and handcuff them, right? Like there are million options. You could do this in a humane way. They are doing this in the most escalatory way possible, the most fascistic way possible. And, and in a way that like is not in the American tradition or spirit. And that takes me to the mass. But if you feel just talk about that,

well, let's talk about the masks because that's what gets me and I'm having trouble sort of articulating why. But I think it comes down to the absence of accountability. Right, yes exactly. You have a right to know who is doing this to you or at least you should have a right to know who is doing this to you. And there has to be some level of accountability for law enforcement at every level because we don't want a system

in which there is not. And nor does law enforcement want a system in which there is not. I mean, law enforcement wants to have a system where they have integrity and trust of the people they are policing. And when you mask someone up, it erodes that trust. And I find it very unsettling to watch as an elected official. Yes, he was impeding and deliberately so the arrest of a migrant, but I find it very unsettling to watch as an elected official. Yes, he was impeding and deliberately so the arrest of a migrant, but I find it very unsettling to watch a masked federal law enforcement

official come and just manhandle him. We don't know who this person is. They didn't show him. He's shouting. That's part of the questions. He's like, who are you? Yeah. Yeah. Who are you? That's arresting me. Show me your identification. Show me your badge. Like if you're an ICE official and he. Show me your identification. Show me your badge. Like if you're an ICE official and he's like, I'm an American citizen. Like this is not in your jurisdiction. Right. And doesn't, and doesn't Lander have the right to know who's arresting him? I mean, maybe not in by the letter of law, but it's certainly in a ethical sense. I feel like he does. Yeah. And this is like, and so we'll put this picture up on the screen. Like his eyes are

bulging out and like there's this evil guy in the evil Spider-Man costume behind him. And again, like, it is just imagery, but like it feels on American. Like it feels against, you know, the traditions and the being able to understand who your accuser is, get a, you to, uh, get due process, get a court, go in front of a judge. Like it feels like something that's in a dystopia or in a fascist country. And like, even if that's not the intent, like that is the aesthetic of it.

And it seems to me that they are intentionally going for that aesthetic. And like, I, that just is not. Anyway, I find this picture to be really, really harrowing and it would be harrowing if in Chile, if it was any person in this suit getting pulled away. But the fact that it's an elected official, they knew it was an elected official. Talk about that. Talk about that because that's the other element here. Yeah. This is a report from the city, which is a local alternative news outlet in New York. But the reporter there said that they heard two agents, one agent say to another is the word they use. So I assume he's referring to ICE agents, but in the article it says one agent say to another is the word they use. So I assume he's referring to ICE agents, but, but in the article, it says one

agent say to another, do you want to arrest the comptroller minutes before that encounter? So again, it's like they knew they made a choice to do it like this, like, as opposed to the many other non-escalatory ways you could have handled this. Like sending one person up to the comptroller, casually talking to him, Mr. Lander, like, please, you know, like, please, you know, remove your arms from this migrant. Like, we have this warrant. Here's the warrant for you.

Here's the warrant to address this person. Mr. Lander, come into a room with the migrant. The judge is there. We will talk and explain what's going on. Yeah, right. Done. Yeah. Or like even in the first case scenario

It's like I have this warrant here It is this person supposed to be under arrest if you continue to resist we're gonna have to just restrain you You know and like warn him several calmly several times. There's like no re like Again, the only reason to do it is is that you want the confrontation? Yeah Now I the reason I wanted you to highlight that the fact that they apparently reportedly knew who they were arresting or handcuffing, I should say, is because we're not even like a week off of Alex Padilla getting, you know, pinned down by federal agents and handcuffed

in a federal building in Los Angeles. And their excuse there was, well, he didn't identify himself. We didn't know who this guy was and he's barging at us and he's getting in front of a law enforcement operation, or in this case disrupting Kristi Noem. And, you know, in this case, they don't have that excuse, apparently, because they knew who this guy was. And this is also in the context of a mayor getting into confrontation at a New Jersey

detention facility, a sitting member of Congress being charged for disrupting ICE affairs at the same New Jersey facility. We now have a fairly decent pattern of this happening with Democratic officials and the Trump administration. And I keep coming back to the fact we're like 10, 10% in, I mean, this is just starting, uh, and these, these deportation proceedings are just ramping up. This could get really ugly. Oh, right. It already is ugly, but yeah, it could get even uglier.

I, so the two, two political things just worth mentioning. One is to this point. I mean, obviously our viewers already know that this was ridiculous, but it should just note that these guys all came in talking about depoliticizing the justice system. Like it was literally, that was what they, and so if you're talking to Republican senators or whatever, it's like, oh, they, these guys are all lied to. Like everybody, you know, that went into a confirmable position and you know, DOJ, DHS, all these offices, like their big talking point was, Oh, the, the

justice system was so politicized cause Donald Trump was indicted. Right. And so we are going to get rid of that. And, and like they've come in and in record time just immediately targeted their political opposition. Yeah. Um, so anyway, um, the other, the other political, uh, sub sub story here is, is just that Landers running for mayor.

You mentioned that at the top. And so I do think that some people on the right will be like, Oh, this was a stunt. Yeah, it's opportunistic. Um, I think it is opportunistic. It obviously is opportunistic. Sure. He did it.

He wanted to create a moment. He got a moment. Yes. But again, they didn't have to fucking hand call him and put, put mass on it. Yeah. It could have been a nothing burger moment again If they had acted appropriately could gone up to and said here's a piece of paper You're your person here needs to come to this office, but right like they're just a million ways to know

This is not a violent criminal. This is not an air. It's not an issue of urgent Security that like they needed to worry about right like like all this is just it's totally unnecessary Thuggish cop behavior. So yeah, I think he wanted to, and it might help him. I do think that it's, who knows, like this race right now looks like it's going down to Cuomo and Mamdani, who I interviewed today, if you can check out on the feed. And like there's concerns with both of them

and for very different reasons across New Yorkers. And, and Lander and Mamdani have a kind ofny have a kind of a little packed thing where it's like, if you rank me, you rank me the other one. Maybe lander is a little bit more. Except this is Tim. And I have this similar thing in the bulwark office, by the way, where we have a packed on the rank choice voting within the office where it's like, if you're going to vote Sam first on the ballot, you put me second, uh, and vice

versa for YouTube rankings. Yeah. Um, so anyway, I, I, there is, there is some implication there. I think outside chance, like it really seems like Zoran and Cuomo are the most likely there, but anything can happen. Yeah. All right. Well, we'll watch.

Thanks, buddy. Hi, I'm Richard Karn and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copperhead is backed with a

10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64,000. That's WATER to 64,000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64,000. By texting 64,000, you'll agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose.

Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available at pockethose.com slash terms. Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer.

Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that?

I'll tell you what, an exciting exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64,000. That's WATER to 64,000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64,000. By texting 64,000 you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from pocket hose. Messages

iterates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply available at pockethose.com slash terms. Hi, I'm Richard Karn and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home.

When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot

and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64,000. That's WATER to 64,000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64,000. By texting 64,000 you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply available at pockethose.com slash terms.