In a startling incident captured on video, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on Friday at a federal immigration detention center amid his protests against the facility's recent opening. A federal prosecutor confirmed the arrest, which has drawn significant attention due to its dramatic nature.
The footage shows Mayor Baraka asserting that he was not on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) property, after a voice from behind the facility's fence indicated that agents were considering arresting him. “I’m not on their property,” Baraka confidently replies in the video. “They can’t come out on the street and arrest me,” he insists, emphasizing the legal boundaries at play. An onlooker, who can be heard in the video, agrees with Baraka’s statement before departing the scene.
Mayor Baraka has been a vocal opponent of the construction and opening of the new 1,000-bed detention center. He argues that the facility should not operate due to alleged issues with its building permits. His protests have included public appearances and statements highlighting the impact of such detention centers on immigrant communities.
Witnesses reported that the arrest occurred as Baraka attempted to join a scheduled tour of the facility alongside three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation: Representatives Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Activist Viri Martinez, associated with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, described the scene, stating, “There was yelling and pushing.” Martinez continued, “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and placed him in an unmarked car.”
In response to the events, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement refuting the claims that the lawmakers had requested a tour of the facility. According to the department, during a time when a bus carrying detainees was entering the facility, a group of protestors, which included two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, attempted to storm the gate and gain access to the detention center.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described the actions of the protesters as “beyond a bizarre political stunt,” stressing that such behavior jeopardizes the safety of both agents and detainees. “Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities,” McLaughlin asserted. “Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility.”
Footage of the confrontation reveals a federal official in a Homeland Security Investigations jacket explaining to Baraka that he could not join the tour because “you are not a Congress member.” As the situation escalated, several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded Baraka and other protesters. Amid chants of “Shame,” Baraka was ultimately escorted back through the security gate in handcuffs.
This incident has sparked widespread debate over the treatment of protestors, the legality of the detention center's operations, and the responsibilities of elected officials in advocating for immigrant rights.
