The arrest of Newark’s mayor should send a clear message – Trump isn’t messing around

Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

The law enforcement veteran discusses the recent arrest and why it should send a clear message to Democrats who are still resistant to Trump’s plan to clean up the United States.

President Donald Trump has been on quite a tear since re-taking office earlier this year. Along with setting several precedents to put our country back on the right track, he’s also pushed alongside his border czar, Tom Homan, to remove illegal immigrants, with the help of thousands of devoted ICE officers.

And yet, there are these Democrats who still believe that criminal migrants are worth protecting over their own citizens, doing everything in their power to push back against Trump and insist on calling him a power-hungry bully.

I often sit back and wonder why they think this way, only to see them take their actions further and insist they’re doing the right thing. But the truth is…they’re not.

The latest action comes from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested on Friday after joining three additional members of Congress at a protest outside of an ICE facility. He had long been against the creation of the center, and believed he was sending a message by attending the protest.

But, as Alina Habba made it clear on X in a recent post, he failed to realize just how much he was breaking the law.

He “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, this afternoon,” Habba noted. “He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in the state.”

She also made a statement I wholeheartedly agree with. “NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.”

Absolutely correct. And what’s worse, this is a man who has sworn into public office to defend his citizens. So what does he do? He joins an already rowdy protest at an official ICE facility because he believes he’s doing right for the people.

The truth? He looks like a fool. He fails to take the safety of his own men and women at the facility for the sake of his fruitless political message. Again, a city Mayor. Not just a concerned citizen. An actual leader of the people.

What’s worse, he doesn’t seem to understand the error of what he’s done. According to this report, he vows to fight back against his charges and, what’s worse, attend even more protests. “ We’re going to continue in court with them.”

This is just asinine at this point. I needn’t remind you that a Mayor has his sworn duties to do what’s right for the people. But Baraka isn’t doing that, instead fighting against his own government. Does that sound like a born leader to you?

That said, Homan has already made it clear that not only is this arrest justified, but more could be coming if Democratic leaders continue down this disastrous path.

“They can try to hide all they want with these protests around the facility, but we’re going to continue doing what we’re doing,” he noted in a Fox News interview. “You can’t cross that line, you can’t cross the line of impediment. They can stand out and scream all they want. They can trespass; they’ll be arrested. If they impede, they will be arrested.”

As they should be. Especially if they’re leaders that, again, are sworn to protect the citizens that they’re actually fighting against right now. By swearing that illegal immigrants deserve shielding from Trump, they’re basically saying to these citizens, “Nah, we’re going to go with these guys.”

Doesn’t make any sense, does it?

I do hope, at some point, these Democratic leaders understand what Trump is trying to do. Because, otherwise, it’s going to create even more unnecessary tension with people. As a result, who knows? Someone could get hurt at one of these protests. A police officer, an innocent bystander.

And what happens then? Will these leaders still believe they’re in the right, even as blood gets shed?

It’s a matter of doing what’s right for this country, not doing what you feel is right.

Fingers crossed that Baraka understands that sooner rather than later.

Michael A. Letts, Founder, President, and CEO of In-Vest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bullet-proof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.

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