The following report comes from the Associated Press via WHYY.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday at a federal immigration detention center where he has been protesting its opening this week. He was released hours later and told supporters: “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration.
He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues.
Linda Baraka, the mayor’s wife, accused the federal government of 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 said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him.
A crowd gathered to protest outside the building where Baraka was being held, with many chanting, “Let the mayor go!”
Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka committed trespass and ignored warnings from Homeland Security personnel to leave Delaney Hall, a detention facility run by private prison operator Geo Group.
Habba said Baraka had “chosen to disregard the law” and added that he was taken into custody.
Video of the incident showed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the public side of the gate to the facility.
Witnesses describe a ‘heated argument’
Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in attempting to enter the facility.
When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates.
“There was yelling and pushing,” Martinez said. “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.”
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the lawmakers had not asked for a tour of the facility. The department said further that as a bus carrying detainees was entering, “a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.”
Homeland Security did not respond to questions about why only the mayor was arrested.
Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper said the lawmakers went to the facility early in the afternoon unannounced because their plan was to inspect it, not to take a scheduled tour.
“They arrived, explained to the guards and the officials at the facility that they were there to exercise their oversight authority,” he said, adding that they were allowed to enter and inspect the center sometime between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
DHS, in its statement issued after Baraka’s arrest, said Menendez, Watson Coleman and a number of protesters were currently “holed up in a guard shack” at the facility.
“Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour,” McLaughlin said.
Watson Coleman, who left and was at a Homeland Security Investigations holding facility where Baraka was said to have been taken, said the DHS statement inaccurately characterized the visit.
“Contrary to a press statement put out by DHS we did not ‘storm’ the detention center,” she wrote. “The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn’t even correctly count the number of Representatives present. We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.”
Video shows the mayor standing on the public side of the gate
In video of the altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not join a tour of the facility because “you are not a congress member.”
Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: “They’re talking about coming back to arrest you.”
“I’m not on their property. They can’t come out on the street and arrest me,” Baraka replied.
Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, “Shame,” Baraka was dragged back through the security gate in handcuffs.
“The ICE personnel came out aggressively to arrest him and grab him,” said Julie Moreno, a New Jersey state captain of American Families United. “It didn’t make any sense why they chose that moment to grab him while he was outside the gates.”
An email and phone message left with the mayor’s communications office were not immediately answered Friday afternoon. Kabir Moss, a spokesperson for Baraka’s gubernatorial campaign, said, “We are actively monitoring and will provide more details as they become available.”
Several civil rights and immigration reform advocates as well as government officials condemned Baraka’s arrest. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office is defending a state law barring private immigration detention facilities, criticized the arrest during a seemingly peaceful protest and said no state or local law enforcement agencies were involved.
The following is from WBGO News
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy released a statement that he was outraged over Baraka's "unjust" arrest.
The governor said he signed a law four years ago banning private immigration detention centers in New Jersey and his administration has been leading the fight to defend the law before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
"Mayor Baraka is an exemplary public servant who has always stood up for our most vulnerable neighbors," Murphy said. "I am calling for his immediate release by federal law enforcement."
"You can have disagreements about immigration. You should not have a disagreement about what happened today. They should not be able to assault members of Congress which is what happened today in addition to arresting the mayor of Newark who was peacefully there and on public ground when they were arrested!" said Representative Rob Menendez.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement on Friday.
“As mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka has a responsibility to ensure that facilities operating in the city are adhering to laws that protect the safety and wellbeing of occupants and residents. This incident is disturbing, unnecessary and indicative of tactics that are undermining the safety and security of our communities, not adding to it. Law enforcement officers should have deescalated this situation. Mayor Baraka should be immediately released. Moreover, the Trump administration’s decision to reopen Delaney Hall, a private, for-profit prison in our community, should have never gone forward. New Jersey deserves better and the Trump administration continues to take actions to undermine the wellbeing of our residents.”
New Jersey State Senator Britnee N. Timberlake issue a statement Friday night.
"Today, I stand in unwavering solidarity with Mayor Ras Baraka, a leader of conviction and courage, who was arrested for trespassing at Delany Hall. His commitment to justice and his willingness to put himself on the front lines for human beings who can't even vote for him exemplify the very essence of public service. The events at Delaney Hall detention facility underscore the urgent need for accountability and transparency in our immigration system. His leadership in demanding access, oversight, and justice should be commended, not criminalized. The visible assault caught on camera on Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman during this unrest is deeply troubling. No elected official, no citizen, no human being should ever face a threat of arrest or violence for simply being. The ability to peacefully protest is not just a privilege—it is an American right, enshrined in our Constitution and protected by the sacrifices of generations before us. I am praying for all protesters tonight. I call on all leaders, regardless of party, to denounce all injustice and reaffirm our commitment to democracy, civil rights, free speech, and the protection of those who dare to speak truth to power. We will not be silenced. We will not be intimidated. And we will continue to fight for justice."
According to NJ Advance Media, several of the Republican candidates running for Governor were critical of Mayor Baraka. Bill Spadea, a former radio host also running for the Republican nomination, wrote.
“His antics put the safety of our members of law enforcement at risk and jeopardized the ability for them to do their job. All of the other candidates should join me in condemning Ras Baraka and stand in solidarity with ICE, Tom Homan, Alina Habba and everyone working to enforce the law and end illegal immigration in New Jersey.”
