ICE frees New Jersey mayor apprehended at demonstration alongside legislators
Ras Baraka asserted that he acted appropriately, stating he did nothing wrong.
TroibNews 
NEWARK, New Jersey — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was released from custody Friday evening following a dramatic day that saw federal authorities engage in a confrontation with three members of Congress before arresting him.
Baraka, who is also a Democratic candidate for governor, was freed just before 8 p.m. from a Homeland Security field office in Newark. His release came after a large group of supporters—including several members of Congress, numerous New Jersey lawmakers, and two Democratic candidates for mayor of New York City—gathered to protest his arrest and call for his release.
Earlier that day, Baraka was charged with trespassing at Delaney Hall, a newly opened immigration detention facility in a different area of the city. After his release, he spoke passionately on the sidewalk outside the field office, reaffirming his pro-immigrant stance.
Adopting a biblical tone, Baraka characterized his approach to welcoming immigrants as in line with religious teachings to aid those in need, while condemning the religious right.
“I’m doing what your religious leaders told you to do,” he said. “And all of these people in the Christian right, with this mean-spiritedness, that makes them believe they are more righteous than everyone else — there’s a special place in hell for all of you.”
According to charging documents filed in U.S. District Court, Baraka is accused of unlawfully entering and remaining at Delaney Hall. He faces a trespassing charge under a federal law that addresses state offenses committed on federal property, which carries the same maximum penalty under state law: up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Court records indicate that Baraka made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Espinosa via videoconference around 7:15 p.m. on Friday, while being held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. No plea was entered, and he was released on an unsecured bond with no monetary value assigned. Another hearing is scheduled for May 15.
Evening federal court proceedings are uncommon; many defendants arrested by federal authorities on a Friday typically do not appear in court until the following Monday.
Represented by Newark defense attorney Raymond Brown, Baraka did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Afterward, he mentioned he couldn’t discuss the case but noted that “Homeland Security treated me pretty well.”
“But the reality is this: I didn’t do anything wrong,” he stated.
Earlier in the day, Alina Habba, the interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, took to social media to assert that Baraka had “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon.”
Baraka's arrest has propelled him into the national spotlight as he aims to become New Jersey’s next governor. It has sparked partisan debate, with Republicans and conservative media alleging that he and the congressional members had forcibly entered the facility.
However, an account from a PMG reporter present before the arrest revealed that Baraka had been standing inside the facility's fence line in a parking lot for an extended time, while Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver— all New Jersey Democrats—were inside attempting to inspect the facility.
Details regarding how Baraka gained access to the fenced area remain unclear, but he was eventually asked to leave. Though reluctant, he complied and moved to the outside fence where he stood alongside media representatives and protesters who had gathered earlier for what was expected to be a press conference on the detention center’s significant role in Northeast immigration operations.
Federal authorities later returned to arrest Baraka, leading to a scuffle in which he was handcuffed, and the three congressional members reported being mishandled during the confrontation.
In his eight-minute speech following his release, Baraka extended his remarks beyond local concerns, reflecting on his family’s flight from the Jim Crow South to Newark and criticizing former President Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine birthright citizenship, accusing him of ignoring judicial authority.
“What’s happening now in this country, everybody should be scared of. This authoritarianism that’s taking place is legal authoritarianism,” Baraka expressed.
As he departed the facility, his supporters chanted “Ras for governor.”
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
Baraka, who is also a Democratic candidate for governor, was freed just before 8 p.m. from a Homeland Security field office in Newark. His release came after a large group of supporters—including several members of Congress, numerous New Jersey lawmakers, and two Democratic candidates for mayor of New York City—gathered to protest his arrest and call for his release.
Earlier that day, Baraka was charged with trespassing at Delaney Hall, a newly opened immigration detention facility in a different area of the city. After his release, he spoke passionately on the sidewalk outside the field office, reaffirming his pro-immigrant stance.
Adopting a biblical tone, Baraka characterized his approach to welcoming immigrants as in line with religious teachings to aid those in need, while condemning the religious right.
“I’m doing what your religious leaders told you to do,” he said. “And all of these people in the Christian right, with this mean-spiritedness, that makes them believe they are more righteous than everyone else — there’s a special place in hell for all of you.”
According to charging documents filed in U.S. District Court, Baraka is accused of unlawfully entering and remaining at Delaney Hall. He faces a trespassing charge under a federal law that addresses state offenses committed on federal property, which carries the same maximum penalty under state law: up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Court records indicate that Baraka made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Espinosa via videoconference around 7:15 p.m. on Friday, while being held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. No plea was entered, and he was released on an unsecured bond with no monetary value assigned. Another hearing is scheduled for May 15.
Evening federal court proceedings are uncommon; many defendants arrested by federal authorities on a Friday typically do not appear in court until the following Monday.
Represented by Newark defense attorney Raymond Brown, Baraka did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Afterward, he mentioned he couldn’t discuss the case but noted that “Homeland Security treated me pretty well.”
“But the reality is this: I didn’t do anything wrong,” he stated.
Earlier in the day, Alina Habba, the interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, took to social media to assert that Baraka had “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon.”
Baraka's arrest has propelled him into the national spotlight as he aims to become New Jersey’s next governor. It has sparked partisan debate, with Republicans and conservative media alleging that he and the congressional members had forcibly entered the facility.
However, an account from a PMG reporter present before the arrest revealed that Baraka had been standing inside the facility's fence line in a parking lot for an extended time, while Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver— all New Jersey Democrats—were inside attempting to inspect the facility.
Details regarding how Baraka gained access to the fenced area remain unclear, but he was eventually asked to leave. Though reluctant, he complied and moved to the outside fence where he stood alongside media representatives and protesters who had gathered earlier for what was expected to be a press conference on the detention center’s significant role in Northeast immigration operations.
Federal authorities later returned to arrest Baraka, leading to a scuffle in which he was handcuffed, and the three congressional members reported being mishandled during the confrontation.
In his eight-minute speech following his release, Baraka extended his remarks beyond local concerns, reflecting on his family’s flight from the Jim Crow South to Newark and criticizing former President Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine birthright citizenship, accusing him of ignoring judicial authority.
“What’s happening now in this country, everybody should be scared of. This authoritarianism that’s taking place is legal authoritarianism,” Baraka expressed.
As he departed the facility, his supporters chanted “Ras for governor.”
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
