NEWARK, N.J. — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says he was invited to speak at a press conference, not to get arrested. But on Friday, he ended up in handcuffs outside a newly opened federal immigration detention center after joining members of Congress in protesting the $1 billion contract to detain migrants inside.
Baraka, a Democrat and vocal opponent of the private prison industry, was taken into custody and charged with trespassing at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility—a site operated by GEO Group, one of the largest private prison contractors in the country. He was released Friday evening after several hours in custody.
“I’m shocked by all the lies that were told here,” Baraka said. “No one else arrested, I was invited in, then they arrested me on the sidewalk.”
ICE faces backlash for Mayor Baraka arrest as lawmakers demand answers
Baraka was accompanied by New Jersey Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman. The three Democratic lawmakers attempted to inspect the facility without prior notice. The Department of Homeland Security later accused the group of breaking into the site.
“The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn’t even correctly count the number of Representatives present,” Rep. Watson Coleman said. “We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.”
A video obtained by the Associated Press shows a federal agent telling Baraka he could not enter the facility because “you are not a Congress member.” Baraka then walked away from the secure gate and stood on the public side, speaking with someone in a suit through the fence.
“They’re talking about coming back to arrest you,” the man said.
“I’m not on their property,” Baraka replied. “They can’t come out on the street and arrest me.”
But moments later, federal agents—some masked—rushed through the gate, surrounded Baraka, and took him back inside. Protesters on site shouted “Shame!” as he was led away in handcuffs.
“There was yelling and pushing,” said Viri Martinez, an organizer with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.”
$1B contract fuels protest over immigration detention
The arrest took place outside a facility recently awarded a 15-year, $1 billion contract by ICE to GEO Group. CEO David Donahue said during a shareholder call last week that the Delaney Hall facility was already receiving detainees and would generate over $60 million annually.
The company’s deal is part of a broader push—initiated under President Donald Trump—to expand detention bed capacity across the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the Delaney Hall facility has passed all necessary inspections and has the appropriate permits.
Baraka, who is running to replace term-limited New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, filed a lawsuit earlier this year seeking to stop the facility from opening, citing concerns about zoning and building code violations.
In a statement on social media, Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said Baraka had “chosen to disregard the law.”
“We don’t know what’s going on in there”
Baraka, speaking Saturday on MSNBC, recounted being fingerprinted, photographed, and held in a cell before being released. He said he plans to return.
“We don’t know what’s going on in there,” he said. Baraka is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Rep. Menendez, meanwhile, said the confrontation marked a shift in how ICE handles oversight.
“Throughout every step of this visit, ICE attempted to intimidate everyone involved and impede our ability to conduct oversight,” Menendez said.
