Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday (Could 9) at a federal immigration detention heart. Baraka had 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 administration over unlawful immigration. He has aggressively pushed again towards the development and opening of the 1,000-bed detention heart. He argues that it shouldn’t open due to constructing allow points. In the meantime, Linda Baraka, the mayor’s spouse, accused the federal authorities of focusing on her husband.
“They didn’t arrest anybody else. They didn’t ask anybody else to go away. They needed to make an instance out of the mayor,” she mentioned, including that she had not been allowed to see him.
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Witnesses Describe The Arrest Of Mayor Ras Baraka
Video of the incident confirmed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the general public aspect of the ability’s gate. Witnesses mentioned the arrest got here after Baraka tried to enter the ability with three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation. They embrace Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.
In keeping with Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, a heated argument broke out when federal officers blocked the mayor’s entry. The argument continued even after Baraka returned to the general public aspect of the gates.
“There was yelling and pushing,” Martinez mentioned. “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of many organizers to the bottom. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked automobile.”
Video obtained by the Related Press exhibits a federal official in a Homeland Safety Investigations jacket telling Baraka he couldn’t be part of a tour of the ability. He reportedly mentioned, “You aren’t a congress member.” Baraka then left the safe space, rejoining protesters on the general public aspect of the gate.
A person in a swimsuit mentioned by way of the gate, “They’re speaking about coming again to arrest you.” Baraka replied, “I’m not on their property. They will’t come out on the road and arrest me.” Minutes later, a number of ICE brokers, some carrying face coverings, surrounded him and others on the general public aspect. As protesters cried out, “Disgrace,” the brokers dragged Mayor Ras Baraka again by way of the safety gate in handcuffs.
After the arrest, a crowd had gathered to protest exterior the Newark constructing the place officers have been holding Baraka. Many have been shouting, “Let the mayor go!”
Division Of Homeland Safety Reacts, Lawmaker Shuts Down Company’s Assertion
In an announcement, the Division of Homeland Safety mentioned the lawmakers had not requested a tour of the Newark facility. As an alternative, protestors and the lawmakers had allegedly “stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility” as a bus carrying detainees was coming into. Nonetheless, Homeland Safety didn’t reply questions on why solely Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested.
In the meantime, Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper mentioned the lawmakers went unannounced to the ability early within the afternoon as a result of they deliberate to examine it. It was not their plan to take a scheduled tour.
“They arrived, defined to the guards and the officers on the facility that they have been there to train their oversight authority,” he mentioned, including that they have been allowed to enter and examine the middle someday between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Watson herself mentioned the DHS assertion inaccurately explains what occurred through the go to.
“Opposite to a press assertion put out by DHS we didn’t ‘storm’ the detention heart,” she wrote. “The creator of that press launch was so unfamiliar with the information on the bottom that they didn’t even accurately rely the variety of Representatives current. We have been exercising our authorized oversight operate as we now have accomplished on the Elizabeth Detention Middle with out incident.”
DHS mentioned in its assertion that the ability has the correct permits and that inspections have been cleared. Delaney Corridor, a two-story constructing subsequent to a county jail, previously operated as a midway home.
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 unusually lengthy and huge settlement for ICE. The announcement was a part of President Donald Trump’s plans to extend detention beds nationwide this yr. CEO David Donahue mentioned the ability started the consumption course of Could 1.
New Jersey Interim District Lawyer Reacts To Mayor’s Arrest
Alina Habba is the interim U.S. legal professional for New Jersey. Habba mentioned on the social platform X that Baraka dedicated trespass and ignored warnings from Homeland Safety personnel to go away Delaney Corridor, a detention facility run by non-public jail operator Geo Group. Habba mentioned Baraka had “chosen to ignore the regulation” and confirmed he was taken into custody. “Nobody is above the regulation,” she added.
The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, dedicated trespass and ignored a number of warnings from Homeland Safety Investigations to take away himself from the ICE detention heart in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon. He has willingly chosen to ignore the regulation. That won’t stand on this…
— Alina Habba (@AlinaHabba) Could 9, 2025
Related Press employees Jake Offenhartz, Claudia Lauer, and Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.
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