Newark mayor arrested for protesting migrant detention center
The case comes after the arrest of a Wisconsin judge for "obstructing" the detention of a migrant.
WashingtonNewark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday while protesting the opening of an immigration detention center. New Jersey Federal Prosecutor Alina Habba told X that Baraka was arrested on charges of "trespassing" and "ignoring warnings from Homeland Security personnel for abandoning Delaney Hall, a detention center run by the private prison company GEO with Pam Bondi, and the Trump administration. He has already arrested a judge for "obstructing" the detention of an immigrant, stated: "We will not tolerate this in this state. He has been detained. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW." Baraka, in addition to being the mayor of Newark, has also run for governor of New Jersey.
The mayor had been protesting the opening of the center all week, claiming that its operators had not obtained the proper permits. In February, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced it had reached a $1 billion, 15-year agreement with GEO Group to establish a detention center in the building. Until then, the two-story building, located next to a county jail, had operated as a rehabilitation center.
Baraka was participating in a visit on Friday by three Democratic legislators from the New Jersey Congress to join the protests against the center.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson accused protesters of breaking into the facility when a bus carrying detainees arrived. "These members of Congress breaking into a detention facility goes beyond a bizarre political maneuver and endangers the safety of our law enforcement officers and detainees," the spokesperson said in a statement cited by Reuters.
In an impromptu press conference broadcast live on social media, Coleman denounced Friday's events as an "abuse of power." "They know who we are... they will physically abuse us and arrest the mayor," the congresswoman said, adding that "the conditions [at the facility] are appalling... ICE is out of control... they think they can intimidate us all." McLever, one of the three Democratic representatives, also stated that Baraka "did nothing wrong" and had already left the facility at the time of his arrest.
The arrest comes two weeks after the FBI announced it had arrested Judge Hannah Dugan for "obstructing" the detention of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was ultimately arrested by immigration agents. Flores-Ruiz was scheduled to appear before the judge on a minor case when federal agents showed up to try to intercept him. This is a recent practice under the Trump administration to expedite arrests, and one that many judges have opposed.