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June 17, 2025

The Trump administration's theme of detaining elected officials continues apace with Brad Lander, New York City's comptroller and a leading mayoral candidate in the city's Democratic primary.

The scenes inside the immigration court, where Lander had been attempting to escort a man, are nothing short of dramatic, as masked agents are seen shoving and handcuffing Lander. "I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant,” the comptroller says. "Where is it? Where is the warrant?"

Lander's arrest comes amid the wider crackdown on dissent against elected officials who protest the administration's mass deportation agenda. That crackdown itself is just one piece of Donald Trump's vow to use the federal government to seek revenge on his perceived political enemies; that vow, for me, is the most chilling feature of our authoritarian slide. Call it a nesting doll of fascism.

—Inae Oh

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The Trump Admin. Keeps Detaining and Prosecuting Elected Officials Who Get in His Way

A timeline of authoritarianism.

BY INAE OH

SPONSORED CONTENT BY MISSISSIPPI INDEPENDENT

Mississippi man’s ICE detention draws international attention

Kasper Erikson,  a Danish-born welder who has legally lived and worked in Mississippi for more than a decade, was arrested without warning in April. Due to Eriksen’s background, politics and now, visibility, he has become something of a litmus test for public empathy in the Trump-era immigration debate. Learn more about Eriksen’s story, and find more in-depth news coverage like this by subscribing to The Mississippi Independent.

Federal agents handcuff and detain New York City mayoral candidate

BY SERENA LIN AND NOAH LANARD

The ghoulish response of Trump and the GOP

BY JULIANNE MCSHANE

Will Trump’s disinformation presidency lead to civil war?

BY DAVID CORN

Boosted by Trump, banks resume their love affair with fossil fuels

BY HENRY CARNELL

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From ice to inferno: Alaska issues historic heat advisory

The state is warming more than twice as fast as the global average.

BY LOIS PARSHLEY

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