Tensions escalated on Friday at a Newark Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility as a group of New Jersey House Democrats and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka clashed with federal agents. The confrontation took place at Delaney Hall, a detention center run by the private prison contractor GEO Group.
Mayor Ras Baraka, who is also a Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor, was arrested during a standoff with agents at the facility. Video footage obtained by Axios captured the altercation between the officials and ICE personnel around the time of Baraka’s arrest.
“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,” stated acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba, a current adviser to former President Donald Trump.“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.”
Baraka had sought entry to Delaney Hall to inspect for potential violations of Newark’s municipal codes related to building safety, fire hazards, and occupancy standards. He also aimed to push back against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. His office has already initiated legal proceedings against GEO Group over alleged local code violations.
In response to Baraka’s claims, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied any permitting issues at the facility and released information highlighting several detainees with violent criminal histories, including one described as an “active member” of the MS-13 gang from El Salvador.
The confrontation grew when Democratic Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez Jr. arrived at the scene and attempted to enter the facility with demonstrators. Additional footage appeared to show Representative LaMonica McIver in a scuffle with law enforcement as the crowd attempted to force entry.
“Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility. This is an evolving situation,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“A mob (including 3 members of Congress) assaulting our ICE agents as they try to break into an ICE detention facility,” she later added in a separate statement.
Following the incident, the lawmakers were ultimately permitted to tour the facility to assess its adherence to local ordinances.
“At around 1pm today, my colleagues @RepLaMonica @RepMenendez and I arrived at the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark to exercise our oversight authority as Members of Congress,” Watson Coleman said in a statement.
She rejected McLaughlin’s depiction of the events, saying, “The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn’t even correctly count the number of Representatives present. We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.”
McIver later clarified that Baraka complied with orders to leave, acknowledging that as a non-federal official, he lacked the legal authority to remain inside. He was taken to another ICE location in Newark, though formal charges had not yet been announced.
Following the arrest, demonstrators affiliated with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice gathered outside the facility, demanding Baraka’s release.
Habba, speaking with Fox News host Martha MacCallum, said that Baraka initially refused to leave the premises despite being told to do so multiple times. He eventually walked away after being informed of his arrest.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, along with several of Baraka’s opponents in the gubernatorial race, condemned the arrest.
“I am outraged by the unjust arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka earlier this afternoon outside of Delaney Hall in Newark,” Murphy said. “I am calling for his immediate release by federal law enforcement.”
Good those lawmakers or criminals. Should go to jail. They are NOT ABOVE THE LAW! If the were there to do an oversite inspection why was it not approved by congress? The mayor is just a thug. He needs to worry about the safety of the airport 🛫
All that is needed to be said is
“……the mayor, a Democrat…. !”