Photo: Getty Images
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at a federal immigration detention center amid protests against its opening, per News 12.
Baraka has been a vocal critic of the construction and opening of Delany Hall, a 1,000-bed ICE detention center that he argues shouldn't be opened due to building permit issues.
On Friday (May 9), Baraka attempted to conduct an oversight inspection of the facility along with members of New Jersey's congressional delegation, including Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman. The mayor was joining the group for their scheduled tour of Delaney Hall when federal officials blocked his entry, sparking a heated confrontation.
Baraka was eventually handcuffed and taken to the Homeland Security Investigations headquarters. Protestors gathered outside the building where Baraka was held, yelling, "Let the mayor go!"
“This is not our first visit to an ICE detention facility. But this most assuredly is the most discomforting, concerning visit we've had…And what we experienced was the weaponization of the abuse of power that this administration has given ICE to do,” Coleman said.
Baraka was released a few hours after his detainment.
"I didn't do anything wrong," he told supporters. "This shouldn't have happened today, but it did, and it's just an example of the work that we have to do."
Baraka's wife, Linda, accused the federal government of targeting the mayor.
“They didn’t arrest anyone else. They didn’t ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,” she said.
Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, claimed that Baraka was trespassing and had ignored warnings from Homeland Security personnel to leave Delaney Hall. Baraka had “chosen to disregard the law," Habba alleged.
After being released, Baraka pledged to continue his efforts to advocate for those who remain at the detention center.
"We're not asking for anything that's incorrect. We're asking them to obey our laws, to obey the policies and rules here in the city and the state of New Jersey," he said.
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