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OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:30 PM – Friday, May 9, 2025
On Friday, the Democrat mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, was arrested at an ICE detention center in New Jersey — where Democrat Congressional lawmakers had scheduled an afternoon “oversight” visit in response to calls from their left-wing constituents.
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Federal police detained Mayor Ras Baraka outside Delaney Hall, a detention center operated by private jail operator GEO Group, in Newark, according to a spokesperson.
According to New Jersey’s acting U.S. attorney, Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Baraka “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center.”
In recent days, Mayor Baraka had visited the facility as part of his efforts to close the newly reopened detention center, publicly alleging that the facility was operating “illegally.”
Baraka claims that the facility was reopened without the necessary city permits, which he says violates local ordinances. He also argues that this lack of authorization makes the facility’s operations unlawful.
In response to these issues, Baraka had vowed to continue protesting the facility’s operation and has initiated legal action against its operator, GEO Group.
Meanwhile, witnesses reported that the arrest occurred after Baraka attempted to join a scheduled tour of the facility with three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation: Representatives Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman — all Democrats.
According to Viri Martinez, a far-left activist affiliated with the “New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice,” a heated confrontation ensued when federal officials denied Mayor Baraka entry. The dispute persisted even after Baraka had retreated to the public side of the gates.
“There was yelling and pushing,” Martinez said. “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.”
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security maintained that the lawmakers had not requested a tour of the facility, contradicting accounts provided by witnesses.
The department further stated that as a bus transporting detainees approached the facility, “a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.”
Ned Cooper, spokesperson for Representative Watson Coleman, clarified that the lawmakers arrived at the facility early in the afternoon without prior notice, as their intention was to conduct an inspection rather than participate in a scheduled tour.
“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,” stated Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.
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