Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested by police at Delaney Hall Detention Center, used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal immigrants in his city, for trespassing at the facility.
Two Democratic U.S. congressmen “stormed” the ICE prison, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which said such conduct “goes beyond a bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and detainees at risk.”
“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,” Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba, who is also a counselor to President Donald Trump, said in a post on X. “He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.”
Democratic New Jersey Reps. Rob Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman were at the facility with Baraka to protest the ICE prison.
A video showed Baraka being arrested, and McIver can be heard in the background saying, “Put your hands off me!”
Video shared w/ @Axios of the moment Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested: https://t.co/Spvhs7LygX pic.twitter.com/AEUXmmSmbk
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) May 9, 2025
Coleman and Menendez “stormed the gate” of the facility and “holed up” in a guard shack at the first security checkpoint, the DHS said in a press release.
“Today, as a bus of detainees was entering the security gate of Delaney Hall Detention Center, a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility. Representatives Robert Menendez, Jr. and Bonnie Watson Coleman and multiple protestors are holed up in a guard shack, the first security check point,” the statement says.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin called the matter “an evolving situation.”
“Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility.” McLaughlin said.
The statement adds that the facility’s permits are valid, and the Newark politicians’ allegations that they aren’t are false. Inspections for plumbing, electricity, and fire codes have been cleared.
The National Republican Congressional Committee slammed the Democrats involved in the protest in a post on X, asking if their colleagues support their “unhinged” behavior.
“House Democrats must answer, do they support this unhinged attempt to obstruct justice and block deportations of criminal illegal migrants?” it wrote.
Speaking outside the ICE prison following Baraka’s arrest, Menendez said ICE sent out 20 armed individuals to confront him, Baraka, McIver, and Coleman.
“It was an act of intimidation,” Menendez claimed. “We know what ICE has been doing in our communities. We know that the president lied, and this administration lies every day when they say they are going after criminals. It is not true.”
“They feel no weight of the law, they feel no restraint on what they should be doing, and that was shown in broad daylight today when they not just arrested the mayor of Newark but when they put their hands on two members of Congress who are standing behind me,” he added. “How is this acceptable?”
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Baraka is a candidate for New Jersey governor in 2026 to replace incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. He’s facing a crowded Democratic field that also includes New Jersey Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, among others.
The Washington Examiner contacted the Newark Mayor’s office for comment.