Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was released from custody Friday night following his arrest while protesting at a private Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility that is expected to play a key role in Trump’s plans for mass deportations.
Three Democratic House members were also at the protest but were not arrested. Baraka, 55, who spent several hours in custody, addressed supporters outside the US department of homeland security office in Newark. “The reality is this, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Baraka said.
Alina Habba, Trump’s appointee as interim US Attorney in New Jersey, said Baraka “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself” from the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark.
Three Democratic House members were also at the protest but were not arrested. Baraka, 55, who spent several hours in custody, addressed supporters outside the US department of homeland security office in Newark. “The reality is this, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Baraka said.
Alina Habba, Trump’s appointee as interim US Attorney in New Jersey, said Baraka “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself” from the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark.
The actions escalate a standoff between the Trump administration and Baraka over the 1,000-bed facility Delaney Hall, operated by GEO Group. Baraka, who is running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey governor next month, has protested several times at the facility, and the city has sued the US to block its use. He accuses GEO Group of profiting from Trump’s roundup of immigrants.
