Newark Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on Friday while protesting the opening of a federal immigration detention center.
Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said in a publication on X that Baraka "committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center."
HAPPENING NOW: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was just taken into custody while protesting outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center pic.twitter.com/JMOaSsnLis
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) May 9, 2025
"He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW," Habba added.
The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon. He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this…
— Alina Habba (@AlinaHabba) May 9, 2025
Witnesses of the scene told The Associated press that Baraka tried to join a scheduled tour of the facility along with three members of New Jersey's congressional delegation. An argument began when law enforcement blocked his entry and continued after Baraka left the compound.
"The officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car," said Viri Martinez, a member of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
The incident comes days after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began housing migrants at Delaney Hall in Newark weeks earlier than expected and despite an ongoing legal battle with the city over permitting and safety compliance.
The facility, operated by private prison company GEO Group under a 15-year, $60 million-per-year contract, was originally slated to open in June.
The City of Newark filed a lawsuit in early April arguing that GEO Group failed to obtain proper permits. A spokesperson for ICE confirmed the opening but did not disclose how many detainees are currently being held at the 1,000-bed facility. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that the facility has all permits needed and inspections have been cleared.
Delaney Hall's reopening also plays into a wider legal and political debate over private immigration detention centers in New Jersey. In 2021, the state passed a law barring such contracts, but a federal judge later struck it down, citing the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause. The matter is now under appeal.
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