Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday at a federal immigration detention center where he was protesting. Baraka has been accused of trying to force his way into the migrant detention facility.
According to acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba, Baraka “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings”, to leave Delaney Hall, a detention facility being run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Besides Baraka, there were three Democratic members of Congress at the scene but they were not arrested. Baraka, a Democrat, has criticized the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, stating that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues, AP reported.
“The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center,” Habba, who worked as a personal lawyer to Donald Trump, 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.”
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, a group of protesters, which included the Democrats, “stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility” as a bus with illegal migrants was being brought inside the fenced perimeter.
“These members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk,” the statement said.
The statement added that the department would have allowed the members a tour of the 1,000-bed facility had they asked for one.
Congresswoman Watson Coleman posted on social media earlier on Friday: “We’re at Delaney Hall, an ICE prison in Newark that opened without permission from the city & in violation of local ordinances.
“We’ve heard stories of what it’s like in other ICE prisons. We’re exercising our oversight authority to see for ourselves.”
New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Phil Murphy said he was “outraged” by Baraka’s arrest and demanded his immediate release.
