On Friday, May 9, Ras Baraka, the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was detained by federal officials during a protest at the immigration detention center located in Delaney Hall in the city.
The temporary US Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, posted on the social media platform X, stating that Baraka was detained for willfully entering and disregarding multiple warnings from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to leave.
In her post, Habba mentioned, “He deliberately chose to ignore the law, which is absolutely intolerable in our state. He has been detained, and no one is above the law.”
The arrest took place in the midst of chaos in the parking lot of the detention center, where protesters, federal law enforcement officials, and three congress members – Bonnie Watson Coleman, Robert Menendez, and LaMonica McIver – were involved in a confrontation.
According to Viri Martinez, an activist from the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, when federal officials prevented Baraka from entering, a heated argument erupted. Even when Baraka returned to the public area near the gate, the dispute continued.
Martinez described, “There was shouting and pushing on the scene, then officers swarmed and surrounded Baraka. They pushed one organizer to the ground, handcuffed Baraka, and then led him into an unmarked vehicle.”
It is currently unclear whether Baraka has been formally arrested and where he was taken after being handcuffed on Friday afternoon.
In a statement, the DHS mentioned that when a bus carrying detainees entered the detention center, “a group of protesters, including two US House members, rushed the gate and entered the detention facility.”
The statement stated that the two congress members, Menendez and Coleman, along with some protesters, are currently holed up in the detention center’s guardroom.
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS, stated in the release, “Congress members storming a detention facility is not only a ridiculous political sideshow but also jeopardizes the safety of law enforcement officers and detainees. Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally enter detention facilities. If these congress members had requested a tour, we would have accommodated them. The situation is still evolving.”
Delaney Hall is operated by the private prison company GEO Group, and its opening will quadruple New Jersey’s capacity to detain immigrants. GEO Group has been running this detention center since 2011 but closed it in 2017.
The Trump administration reopened this federal immigration detention center with 1000 beds this month for housing undocumented immigrants, leading to a lawsuit against GEO Group by the city, alleging the company did not have the necessary inspections and permits. GEO Group denies these accusations.
The DHS statement emphasized, “The Newark politicians’ claims that Delaney did not have the necessary permits are false. We hold valid permits and have passed inspections for plumbing, electrical, and fire safety.”
(Information sourced from “Politico” and CNN reports)