Rep. Dan Goldman and challenger Brad Lander called a brief truce in their bruising primary fight on Monday, stepping out in Lower Manhattan to unload on the Trump administration’s deportation tactics right outside the federal courts. The two Democrats, locked in the June 23 primary for New York’s 10th Congressional District, planted themselves on opposite corners near the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building and used the courthouse backdrop to spotlight what they described as a fast-track removal push. For a day, immigration enforcement muscled its way to the center of the local political conversation.
Goldman framed the clash as a question of who is actually being swept up, pressing the administration on its enforcement priorities. “Five percent of the people they have detained have serious criminal convictions,” he said, noting that “95% don’t, and 75% have no criminal record whatsoever,” and pointing to work his office says led to the release of 39 immigrants from unlawful detention, as reported by CBS New York. Lander echoed the criticism and accused the administration of leaning on new mass-processing tactics instead of concentrating on the most serious offenders.
The Lower Manhattan setting was no accident. The complex at 26 Federal Plaza and the surrounding immigration courtrooms have become a magnet for protests and scrutiny over courthouse arrests. Reporters and advocates have chronicled tense run-ins between masked federal agents and people simply trying to attend court, and both campaigns have woven operations at that building into their broader narrative, according to AP News. Lander, a former city comptroller, has periodically shown up as a courtroom observer and was arrested last year while attempting to accompany people leaving their hearings.
What Are "Mega Master" Hearings?
Immigration lawyers say courts have begun scheduling so-called “mega master” calendar sessions that pack 100 or more cases into a single hearing, a shift that critics warn will only speed up removals. Those critics, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told reporters the practice risks generating in-absentia orders because many people get little or no notice when hearings are shifted, as documented by ABC News. On the campaign trail in Manhattan, candidates say mega masters are exactly the kind of quiet procedural tweak that can gut due process without much public debate.
Court Pushback In Manhattan
Legal challenges have already clipped some courthouse enforcement. On May 18, a Manhattan federal judge issued a stay that largely bars ICE from making most civil immigration arrests “in or near” several Manhattan immigration courthouses, including 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street and 290 Broadway, while a lawsuit moves forward. The order, issued after the government conceded that a 2025 internal guidance did not apply to immigration courts, is laid out in a court opinion available via FindLaw. Advocates say the ruling should cut down on the number of people detained immediately after stepping out of a hearing.
Different Styles, Same Target
The day also underscored how Goldman and Lander are attacking the issue from different angles. Goldman has leaned on oversight tools, lawsuits and a triage center that connects detained immigrants with legal help, while Lander has focused on sitting in courtrooms as a witness and organizing street-level protests, according to AP News. For this appearance, though, both men spoke in near unison, criticizing ICE’s tactics and vowing to keep up the pressure if they land the congressional seat.
Legal Implications
Both candidates argued that the one-two punch of mega master hearings and courthouse arrests could deprive more people of a fair chance to fight deportation, and they leaned on the courthouse setting to press for policy shifts. Goldman said he is focused on “abolishing ICE” and holding the agency to account, while Lander cast his courtroom visits as a needed check on enforcement abuses, per reporting by CBS New York. With the Manhattan court stay in place and litigation over ICE’s courthouse tactics still active, the fight over how immigration enforcement plays out in Lower Manhattan is set to hang over the June 23 primary.
