Wait, WHAT!? Mayor Ras Baraka Of Newark Arrested While Protesting Opening Of Immigration Detention Center

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka used to be arrested Friday (May 9) at a federal immigration detention heart. Baraka have been protesting the ability’s opening this week. The arrest has sparked many reactions on social media and from political commentators.

Baraka has embraced the struggle with the Trump management over unlawful immigration. He has aggressively driven again in opposition to the development and opening of the 1,000-bed detention heart. He argues that it will have to now not open on account of construction allow problems. Meanwhile, Linda Baraka, the mayor’s spouse, accused the government of concentrated on 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 mentioned, including that she had now not been allowed to peer him.

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Witnesses Describe The Arrest Of Mayor Ras Baraka

Video of the incident confirmed that Baraka used to be arrested after returning to the general public facet of the ability’s gate. Witnesses mentioned the arrest got here after Baraka tried to go into the ability with 3 participants of New Jersey’s congressional delegation. They come with Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

According to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, a heated argument broke out when federal officers blocked the mayor’s access. The argument endured even after Baraka returned to the general public facet of the gates.

“There was yelling and pushing,” Martinez mentioned. “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.”

Video received by means of the Associated Press presentations a federal reliable in a Homeland Security Investigations jacket telling Baraka he may just now not sign up for a excursion of the ability. He reportedly mentioned, “You are not a congress member.” Baraka then left the safe house, rejoining protesters at the public facet of the gate.

A person in a go well with mentioned during the gate, “They’re talking about coming back to arrest you.” Baraka responded, “I’m not on their property. They can’t come out on the street and arrest me.” Minutes later, a number of ICE brokers, some dressed in face coverings, surrounded him and others at the public facet. As protesters cried out, “Shame,” the brokers dragged Mayor Ras Baraka again during the safety gate in handcuffs.

After the arrest, a crowd had accrued to protest outdoor the Newark construction the place officers had been keeping Baraka. Many had been shouting, “Let the mayor go!”

Department Of Homeland Security Reacts, Lawmaker Shuts Down Agency’s Statement

In a observation, the Department of Homeland Security mentioned the lawmakers had now not asked a excursion of the Newark facility. Instead, protestors and the lawmakers had allegedly “stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility” as a bus sporting detainees used to be getting into. Still, Homeland Security didn’t resolution questions on why most effective Mayor Ras Baraka used to be arrested.

Meanwhile, Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper mentioned the lawmakers went unannounced to the ability early within the afternoon as a result of they deliberate to check out it. It used to be now not their plan to take a scheduled excursion.

“They arrived, explained to the guards and the officials at the facility that they were there to exercise their oversight authority,” he mentioned, including that they had been allowed to go into and check out the middle someday between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Watson herself mentioned the DHS observation inaccurately explains what took place all through the discuss with.

“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.”

DHS mentioned in its observation that the ability has the correct lets in and that inspections had been cleared. Delaney Hall, a two-story construction subsequent to a county jail, previously operated as a midway space.

In February, ICE awarded The Geo Group Inc. a 15-year contract to run the Newark detention heart. Geo valued the contract at $1 billion, an strangely lengthy and big settlement for ICE. The announcement used to be a part of President Donald Trump’s plans to extend detention beds national this 12 months. CEO David Donahue mentioned the ability started the consumption procedure May 1.

New Jersey Interim District Attorney Reacts To Mayor’s Arrest

Alina Habba is the period in-between U.S. legal professional for New Jersey. Habba mentioned at the social platform X that Baraka dedicated trespass and overlooked warnings from Homeland Security staff to depart Delaney Hall, a detention facility run by means of personal jail operator Geo Group. Habba mentioned Baraka had “chosen to disregard the law” and showed he used to be taken into custody. “No one is above the law,” she added.

The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, dedicated trespass and overlooked more than one warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to take away himself from the ICE detention heart in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon. He has willingly selected to omit the regulation. That won’t stand on this…

— Alina Habba (@AlinaHabba) May 9, 2025

Associated Press personnel Jake Offenhartz, Claudia Lauer, and Rebecca Santana contributed to this file.