New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka arrested at ICE facility
NEWARK, New Jersey — The mayor of New Jersey’s largest city and a Democratic candidate for governor was handcuffed and detained by federal officials on Friday at a protest of an ICE facility following a scrum involving three members of Congress seeking a tour of the facility.
It was unclear if the mayor, Ras Baraka, was being formally arrested or exactly where he was after he was handcuffed Friday afternoon.
The arrest followed a chaotic scene in the facility’s parking lot involving protestors, federal law enforcement officers and the three members — Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and LaMonica McIver — at Delaney Hall. The Trump administration reopened the 1,00-bed facility this month to house migrants amid a lawsuit from the city against the private operator, GEO Group, alleging it does not have the proper inspections and permits. GEO group has denied that allegation.
The interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, confirmed that Baraka was detained.
“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,” she wrote on X. “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.”
The detention unfolded after Baraka, who is also running for governor, was apparently allowed inside a fenced parking lot at the facility and then later told to leave.
The three House members had been inside the facility and then came out with officers wearing gear that identified them variously as federal police, ICE and homeland security personnel. At one point, the three Democratic members, who had been seeking a tour of the facility, came out as authorities threatened to arrest Baraka. They all exited to a parking lot outside the fence where protesters had gathered.
The three members then reentered the fenced area, but Menendez quickly came back and warned Baraka that the authorities still wanted to arrest Baraka. When Menendez came to warn Baraka, he looked through the fence and told the mayor, “They are talking about coming out to arrest you.”
The law enforcement officials all came out, setting off a scrum, with Baraka and Watson Coleman in the middle. The group all then reentered into the fenced-in area as Baraka was handcuffed and detained. The three members of Congress continued to be inside the secure area of the facility and ICE officials did not responded to shouted questions about Baraka’s status. Protestors on the scene, which included members of the SEIU union, were moving to the field office because they believe the mayor is being held there.
