Democratic New Jersey Mayor Arrested By ICE, Official Says

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Friday outside an immigrant detention facility, an official said.

The arrest occurred after Baraka attempted to join three Democrat congressional representatives for a scheduled tour of the Delaney Hall facility, witnesses told NBC New York.  The witnesses said the representatives were Democratic New Jersey Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

Federal officers in combat fatigues reportedly made their way to the mayor and handcuffed him. The lawmakers had been granted access to the facility, but officers allegedly blocked Baraka’s entry and sparked a heated exchange.

Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba confirmed Baraka was taken into custody, alleging that the mayor “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center.”

The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon. He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this…

— Alina Habba (@AlinaHabba) May 9, 2025

“He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody,” Habba wrote on social media. “NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.”

“The agents started intimidating and putting their hands on the congresswomen. There was yelling and pushing,” alleged Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, according to NBC New Jersey. “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.”

The facility has been a point of heightened contention since February, when ICE announced a $1 billion, 15-year deal with the GEO Group to operate the detention center, according to NJ.com. Baraka, who is currently running for governor, has aggressively fought against the 1,000-bed center, claiming it faces permitting concerns.

The Trump administration said they began holding detainees at Delaney Hall on May 1. City officials tried to serve multiple summonses to the GEO Group earlier in the week but were turned away, according to the outlet.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin had previously accused Baraka of “political antics” that allegedly endanger ICE personnel in a statement to the outlet. The mayor alleged that the presence of ICE officers in recent days was an attempt to intimidate local authorities.