Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was arrested Friday while protesting outside the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. This incident placed him squarely in the center of a bitter ideological battle. Baraka, a fierce opponent of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, stood with other lawmakers to protest the proposed, and now built, facility. He was arrested in participating in the protest, further echoing the danger that such actions have on undocumented immigrants.
Their Delaney Hall facility, managed by private prison outfit Geo Group, has a capacity of 1,000 detainees. Baraka has been an outspoken critic of its opening, going so far as to say that it shouldn’t open until building permits issues are resolved. His actions are just the latest example of a growing movement pushing back against federal immigration policies. He makes the case that all of these policies disproportionately burden vulnerable populations.
In the course of the protest, government officials arrested Baraka for criminal trespass and failure to leave the property after numerous warnings. ICE agents arrested him after a short struggle. After coming out of custody, Baraka was understandably shocked by the fact pattern leading up to his arrest.
“I’m shocked by all the lies that were told here,” – Ras Baraka
The new interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, quickly came out against Baraka’s efforts. She called out his actions as political posturing and accused him of “deliberately choosing to violate the law.” She then pointed out that Baraka was the one arrested. Unlike any other demonstrators, he was not arrested, which indicates that his misconduct was intended purposefully to attract media coverage.
At the time of the incident, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy immediately took to social media to express his solidarity with Baraka. In a sharp rebuke, he condemned the arrest as “unjust.” Murphy’s statement focused on the political repercussions of the shooting. It highlights the long and hard-fought battle that many local leaders, advocates, and allies have waged against federal immigration enforcement.
“No one else [was] arrested, I was invited in, then they arrested me on the sidewalk,” – Ras Baraka
Baraka’s arrest is emblematic of an increasingly hostile climate around immigration policy in the state. He’s been a vocal opponent of ICE’s operations in Newark. As a litigator on behalf of undocumented immigrants, he’s taking on the federal government to safeguard their civil rights from what he terms racially discriminatory and dangerously aggressive enforcement tactics.
