Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Released After Arrest at Immigration Facility Protest: ‘I Didn’t Do Anything Wrong’
He was held in custody for several hours before being released shortly after 8 p.m.
While Baraka declined to discuss the specifics of his case—citing legal advice and a commitment to his attorneys and the judge—he expressed strong solidarity with the immigrant community and broader Newark residents.
“At some point, we have to stop these people from causing division between us.”
A Democrat and current candidate to succeed term-limited Governor Phil Murphy, Baraka has positioned himself as a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
He has strongly opposed the construction and planned opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should be halted due to unresolved building permit violations.
Linda Baraka, the mayor’s wife, accused the federal government of singling out her husband.
“They didn’t arrest anyone else.
A crowd gathered outside the building where Baraka was being held, chanting, “Let the mayor go!” in protest of his arrest.
Alina Habba, interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, stated on X that Baraka was taken into custody for trespassing after refusing to comply with repeated warnings from Homeland Security officials to leave Delaney.
According to Habba, Baraka “chose to disregard the law.”
Video footage from the scene showed Baraka being arrested after he had returned to the public side of the facility’s gate.
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Witnesses Describe a ‘Heated Argument’ Before Arrest
According to witnesses, the arrest occurred after Mayor Baraka tried to join three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation—Reps. The situation reportedly escalated into a heated argument before Baraka was taken into custody.
When federal officials denied Mayor Baraka entry to the facility, a heated confrontation ensued, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
“There was yelling and pushing,” Martinez said. “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground, handcuffed the mayor, and placed him in an unmarked car.”
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that the lawmakers had not requested a formal tour of the facility.
Homeland Security did not comment on why Mayor Baraka was the only person arrested.
Ned Cooper, a spokesperson for Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, said the lawmakers arrived at the facility earlier in the afternoon without prior notice because their intention was to conduct an inspection, not take a prearranged tour.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, who later arrived at a Homeland Security Investigations holding facility where Mayor Baraka was reportedly being held, pushed back against DHS’s account of the visit.
We were exercising our legal oversight function, as we have done previously at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.”
Video footage shared with The Associated Press shows Mayor Baraka standing on the public side of the gate during the altercation. In the video, a federal officer wearing a Homeland Security Investigations jacket tells Baraka he cannot join the facility tour, stating, “You are not a Congress member.”
After leaving the secure area, Mayor Baraka rejoined the protesters on the public side of the gate.
Moments later, several ICE agents—some with their faces covered—approached and surrounded Baraka and others on the public side.
Emails and phone messages left with the mayor’s communications office were not immediately returned on Friday afternoon. Kabir Moss, a spokesperson for Baraka’s gubernatorial campaign, stated, “We are actively monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they become available.”
Baraka’s arrest sparked condemnation from several civil rights and immigration reform advocates, as well as government officials. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office is defending a state law that prohibits private immigration detention facilities, criticized the arrest, noting it occurred during a peaceful protest.
Rep. Menendez issued a statement emphasizing that, as members of Congress, they have the legal right to conduct oversight at DHS facilities without prior notice, a right they have exercised twice earlier this year.
The History of the Facility
To manage the Newark detention center, a deal valued at $1 billion—an unusually long and substantial agreement for ICE.
In response to the deal, Mayor Baraka filed a lawsuit against Geo shortly after the contract was made public.
Geo highlighted the Delaney Hall contract during its earnings call with shareholders on Wednesday. CEO David Donahue stated that the facility is projected to generate over $60 million in annual revenue, noting that the intake process began on May 1.
Hall stated that the activation of the Newark facility, along with another in Michigan, would raise the total capacity under contract with ICE from approximately 20,000 beds to around 23,000.
In its statement, DHS confirmed that the facility holds the necessary permits and has passed all required inspections.