Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on Thursday after leading a group of Democrat lawmakers who stormed past federal officers during a chaotic protest at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey. The incident took place outside Delaney Hall, a private detention center recently reopened under a new ICE contract that has sparked heated backlash from left-wing officials and activist groups.
Baraka, who is also a Democratic candidate for governor, was joined by Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver, and Robert Menendez Jr. The group attempted to force their way into the facility under the guise of conducting an “oversight inspection.” According to federal authorities, they ignored multiple warnings and pushed past Homeland Security agents, prompting Baraka’s arrest for trespassing and obstruction.
HAPPENING NOW: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was just taken into custody while protesting outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center pic.twitter.com/JMOaSsnLis
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) May 9, 2025
The Department of Homeland Security said the group “stormed the gate” and compromised security protocols, accusing the mayor and his allies of inciting a politically motivated stunt. Federal officials emphasized that the facility operates under lawful authority and is essential to maintaining immigration enforcement and public safety.
Baraka and the lawmakers claim their actions were justified, accusing ICE and its private contractor of operating without transparency. They argue the facility violates a 2021 New Jersey state law banning private immigration detention centers—a law currently entangled in a court battle after the Biden administration challenged it on federal supremacy grounds.
Governor Phil Murphy denounced Baraka’s arrest, calling it “outrageous” and defending the mayor’s actions as lawful oversight. However, critics argue that Baraka knowingly violated federal property laws and used the protest to score political points ahead of a likely gubernatorial run.
The Delaney Hall facility, operated by the GEO Group under a 15-year, $1 billion contract, reopened May 1 and has since become a lightning rod for Democrat opposition. Despite the protests, ICE has reaffirmed that the center plays a critical role in processing and detaining individuals who violate federal immigration law.
The arrest of a sitting mayor — and the involvement of multiple members of Congress — underscores the deepening rift between Democrat-run localities and federal immigration authorities under the Trump administration’s renewed enforcement priorities. With legal and political battles likely to follow, the incident is shaping up to be yet another flashpoint in the ongoing national debate over border security, detention policy, and the limits of local resistance.