Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on Friday at a federal immigration detention center, where he is opposing its inauguration this week. He was released after hours and said to the supporters: “I did nothing wrong.”
Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed the term-limited village Phil Murphy, has adopted the fight with the Trump administration on illegal immigration.
They aggressively pushed back against the construction and inauguration of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open due to the creation of permit issues.
The mayor’s wife Linda Barak accused the federal government of targeting her husband.
He said, “He did not arrest anyone else. He did not ask anyone else to leave. He wanted to make an example from the mayor,” he said, saying that he was not allowed to see.
A mob gathered to protest outside the building, where Baraka was being held, with several chanting, “Let the mayor go!”
Alina Habba, the Interim American Attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka tested and ignored the warnings from the Homeland Security personnel to release a detention facility Dalani Hall run by the private jail operator Jio Group.
Habba said that Baraka had “chosen to disregard the law” and said that he was taken into custody.
The video of the incident revealed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the public side of the gate for convenience.
Eyewitnesses said that the arrest made three members of the Congress delegation of New Jersey, Reps. Arrest was made in an attempt to attend three members of Robert Mendez, Lamonica Mcivar and Boney Watson Coleman.
When federal officials blocked his entry, a warm argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, a activist from New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Gates returned to the public side.
Martinez said, “Shouting and pushing.” “Then the authorities bowed Barak. They threw one of the organizers on the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put it in a identified car.”
The Homeland Security Department said in a statement that the MPs did not ask for the convenience visit. The department further stated that the prisoners were entering the bus carrying the prisoners, “A group of protesters, including two members of the US House of Representatives, came to the gate and broke into custody facility.”
Homeland Security did not answer questions why only the mayor was arrested.
Ned Cooper, spokesperson of Watson Coleman, said that the legalists soon went to the convenience unannounced in the afternoon as their plan was to inspect it, not to take a scheduled tour.
He said, “They arrived, explained to the guards and officials about the facility that they were there to use their oversight authority,” he said that he was allowed to enter and inspect the center for some time between 3 and 4 pm.
In his statement issued after the arrest of DHS, Baraka, Menandez, Watson Coleman and several protesters stated that at present “was” hole “in a guards” facility “.
McLaglin said, “Congress members are not above the law and cannot be illegally broken into custody facilities. Whether these members requested a visit, we must have facilitated a tour.”
Watson Coleman, a Homeland Security Investigation Holding facility, where Baraka was taken, said that DHS’s statement characterized the journey wrongly.
He wrote, “Unlike a press statement made by DHS, we did not give the detention center a ‘storm’,” he wrote. “The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the basis that he did not even count the number of representatives present. We were using our legal inspection ceremony as we have done at Elizabeth Detention Center without any incident.”
The video shows the mayor standing on the public side of the gate
In the video of the change shared with the Associated Press, a federal officer in a jacket with the homeland security check can be heard saying that he may not attend the convenience visit because he could not attend the convenience because “you are not a member of Congress.”
Baraka then left the safe area, which re -connected the protesters on the public side of the gate. The video showed him a man in a suit while speaking through the gate, who said: “They are talking about coming back to arrest you.”
“I am not on their property. They cannot come on the road and arrest me,” Baraka replied.
Several minutes later several ice agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others in public. As the protesters cried, “shame,” Barak was pulled back through the security door in handcuffs.
New Jersey State captain Julie Moreno of American families said, “Snow personnel came out aggressively to arrest and catch him.” “It was no meaning why he chose the moment when he was outside the gates, to catch him.”
An email and phone message left with the mayor’s communication office was not replied immediately on Friday afternoon. Kabir Moss, spokesman for Baraka’s Guberonorial Campaign, said, “We are actively monitoring and will provide more details with being available.”
Several civil rights and immigration reform advocates as well as government officials condemned Barak’s arrest. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office, has defended a state law, except for private immigration preventive facilities, criticized the arrest during a peaceful protest and said that no state or local law enforcement agencies were involved.
A two -storey building next to a county jail was operated as a half -road home in the east.
In February, the Ice gave a 15 -year contract to the GEO Group Inc. to run the Newark Detection Center. Geo signed a $ 1 billion in unusually long and large agreement for snow.
The announcement was part of President Donald Trump’s plan to rapidly increase the nationwide bed with a budget of about 41,000 beds this year.
Soon after the announcement of the deal, Baraka sued Jio.
Jio on Wednesday postponed the Delni Hall contract during his earnings call with shareholders, stating CEO David Donhue that it was expected to generate more than $ 60 million per year in revenue. He said that the facility started on May 1.
The hall stated that the total capacity under contract with the activation of the convenience and another ice in Michigan would increase the total capacity, from about 20,000 beds to about 23,000.
DHS said in its statement that the convenience has proper permits and inspections have been cleaned.
