Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at the Delaney Hall federal immigration detention center, which he has been vocally protesting against. He was charged with trespassing and ignoring warnings to vacate the facility, spending several hours in custody before being released around 8 p.m. on Friday. Upon his release, he stated, "The reality is this: I didn’t do anything wrong."
Baraka refrained from discussing the specifics of his case due to a promise made to his lawyers and the judge, but he affirmed his dedication to supporting all members of his community, including immigrants. He remarked, "All of us here, every last one of us, I don’t care what background you come from, what nationality, what language you speak, at some point we have to stop these people from causing division between us."
The mayor, a Democrat who is running for the position of governor in New Jersey after Phil Murphy is term-limited, has been in a fierce battle against the Trump administration regarding immigration policies. He has openly opposed the construction and opening of the Delaney Hall, arguing it should not have been allowed due to permit issues.
Linda Baraka, the mayor's wife, accused federal authorities of specifically targeting her husband. "They didn’t arrest anyone else. They didn’t ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor," she claimed, emphasizing that she had not been allowed to see him while he was detained.
Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, confirmed on social media that Baraka had trespassed at the detention center, which is operated by the private prison company, Geo Group. Habba asserted that Baraka had "chosen to disregard the law."
Eyewitnesses recounted a heated argument occurring after Baraka attempted to enter the facility alongside three members of New Jersey's congressional delegation: Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Tensions escalated when federal officials restricted their entry, igniting a confrontation. According to activist Viri Martinez, "There was yelling and pushing," followed by law enforcement swarming Baraka and arresting him.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the lawmakers had not requested a tour of the Delaney Hall but would have facilitated one had they done so. They noted that a group of protestors, including two Congress members, attempted to rush the gate as a bus carrying detainees entered the facility.
Spokesperson for Rep. Watson Coleman, Ned Cooper, stated that the Congress members arrived unannounced to inspect the facility and were allowed entry later that afternoon. However, Watson Coleman later rebutted the DHS's characterization of their visit, claiming, "We did not 'storm' the detention center; we were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at other facilities without incident."
Video footage of the incident showed a federal official telling Baraka that he could not enter the facility since he was not a congressional member. After returning to the public side of the gate, video evidence captured Baraka conversing with a person, indicating that law enforcement was preparing to arrest him. The situation escalated when ICE agents surrounded him and arrested him as onlookers shouted, "Shame."
Numerous civil rights and immigration reform advocates, along with government officials, condemned Baraka's arrest. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin criticized the incident during what he described as a peaceful protest, clarifying that no state or local law enforcement agencies were involved. Rep. Menendez emphasized the legal authority Congress members have to conduct oversight unannounced at DHS facilities, stating that "Throughout every step of this visit, ICE attempted to intimidate everyone involved and impede our ability to conduct oversight."
The Delaney Hall facility is a two-story building, previously a halfway house, adjacent to a county prison. In February, ICE awarded a significant contract to The Geo Group Inc. to manage the detention center, valued at $1 billion over 15 years. This move was part of former President Donald Trump’s strategy to increase immigration detention capacities nationwide.
The DHS maintained that the facility has received the necessary permits and passed inspections. Despite this, Baraka launched a lawsuit against Geo soon after the contract announcement, voicing his concerns about the detention center's impacts on the community.
