ICE officers arrest N.J. mayor outside immigrant detention center
NJ.com reports:
“ICE officers arrested the mayor of Newark Friday afternoon in a violent struggle just outside the gates of a privately operated immigrant detention facility that he had opposed.
About 2:40 p.m., ICE officers in combat fatigues forcibly arrested Mayor Ras Baraka outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark as a crowd of city officials and immigrant rights advocates tried to encircle him to prevent his arrest.
After a struggle, ICE agents physically dragged Baraka through the gate and placed him in handcuffs before leading him toward the entrance to a building at the facility.
As agents tried to handcuff Baraka, he could be heard, calmly, saying, “My hands are right there. My hands are right there.”
It was unclear why he was arrested.
U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said Baraka was trespassing and “ignored multiple warnings” from Homeland Security Investigations to leave the property.
“He has willingly chosen to disregard the law,” she said on X.
“That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.”
Gov. Phil Murphy called the arrest unjust and demanded Baraka’s immediate release by federal law enforcement.”
READ MORE: ‘It’s absurd.’ Politicians protest arrest of N.J. mayor outside immigrant detention center
“ICE officers arrested the mayor of Newark Friday afternoon in a violent struggle just outside the gates of a privately operated immigrant detention facility that he had opposed.
About 2:40 p.m., ICE officers in combat fatigues forcibly arrested Mayor Ras Baraka outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark as a crowd of city officials and immigrant rights advocates tried to encircle him to prevent his arrest.
After a struggle, ICE agents physically dragged Baraka through the gate and placed him in handcuffs before leading him toward the entrance to a building at the facility.
As agents tried to handcuff Baraka, he could be heard, calmly, saying, “My hands are right there. My hands are right there.”
It was unclear why he was arrested.
U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said Baraka was trespassing and “ignored multiple warnings” from Homeland Security Investigations to leave the property.
“He has willingly chosen to disregard the law,” she said on X.
“That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.”
Gov. Phil Murphy called the arrest unjust and demanded Baraka’s immediate release by federal law enforcement.”
READ MORE: ‘It’s absurd.’ Politicians protest arrest of N.J. mayor outside immigrant detention center
