Latest news with #NewJerseyAllianceforImmigrantJustice
Arab Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, released after arrest at immigration detention center
WASHINGTON, May 10, (AP): Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was released after spending several hours in custody following his arrest at a new federal immigration detention center he has been protesting against. Baraka was accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings to leave the Delaney Hall facility and was finally released around 8 pm Friday. Stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights, he told waiting supporters: "The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong.' The mayor said he could not speak about his case, citing a promise he made to lawyers and the judge. But he voiced full-throated support for everyone living in his community, immigrants included. "All of us here, every last one of us, I don't care what background you come from, what nationality, what language you speak,' Baraka said, "at some point we have to stop these people from causing division between us.' Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration. He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues. Linda Baraka, the mayor's wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband. "They didn't arrest anyone else. They didn't ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,' she said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him. Alina Habba, interim US attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka trespassed at the detention facility, which is run by private prison operator Geo Group. Habba said Baraka had "chosen to disregard the law.' Video of the incident showed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the public side of the gate to the facility. Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New Jersey's congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in attempting to enter the facility. When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates. "There was yelling and pushing,' Martinez said. "Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.'
Business Mayor
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Mayor
Mayor of Newark Ras Baraka released after arrest at Ice jail protest
The mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, was arrested for alleged trespass at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center in New Jersey on Friday and released after several hours. Baraka was released shortly after 8pm and, after stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights, told waiting supporters: 'The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong.' News of Baraka's arrest at Delaney Hall was reported on X by Alina Habba, the acting US attorney for the district of New Jersey, and a former personal attorney and adviser to Donald Trump. '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,' Habba wrote. '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.' Baraka has opposed the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues. Linda Baraka, the mayor's wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband. 'They didn't arrest anyone else. They didn't ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,' she said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him. A crowd gathered to protest outside the building where Baraka was being held, with many chanting: 'Let the mayor go!' When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates. 'There was yelling and pushing,' Martinez said. 'Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.' The New Jersey Globe published a photograph of him being led away in handcuffs by officers in jackets marked 'Police Ice'. The newspaper did not have a reporter at the scene, but said observers at Delaney Hall said there had been 'a scuffle'. Ras Baraka at the Ice center in New Jersey in this social media video. Photograph: Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman/Instagram/Reuters Baraka, who spoke out against Trump's immigration policies in January after an immigration raid in Newark he said Ice agents conducted without a warrant, was at Delaney Hall with Democratic New Jersey Congress members Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver and Rob Menendez. The politicians have accused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of reopening the detention facility, in contravention of local ordinances and without the necessary permits. It is the largest such facility in the north-eastern US, and was the first to open after Trump's second term of office began in January, according to the Ice website. Coleman, in a tweet, said the visit was an attempt to establish conditions inside. 'We've heard stories of what it's like in other Ice prisons. We're exercising our oversight authority to see for ourselves,' she wrote. Coleman also told reporters at a press conference outside the facility that the lawmakers had traveled to the facility to see the conditions, according to the Independent. 'Ice is out of control,' she said. 'Ice thinks it can intimidate all of us. And it cannot intimidate any of us. And we the people will make sure that this administration adheres to the rules that separate us from dictatorships and other third world countries.' Menendez accused Ice agents of having 'put their hands on' representatives Coleman and McIver, reported the New York Times. 'They feel no restraint on what they should be doing, and that was shown in broad daylight today,' Menendez said at the news conference. In video of the altercation shared with the Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not join a tour of the facility because 'you are not a Congress member.' Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: 'They're talking about coming back to arrest you.' 'I'm not on their property. They can't come out on the street and arrest me,' Baraka said. Minutes later several Ice agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out 'Shame!' Baraka was dragged back through the security gate in handcuffs. Axios reported that Coleman's office said that they 'arrived at Delaney Hall today at about 1pm to exercise their oversight authority as prescribed by law. After a period of explaining the law to the officials at the site they were escorted in.' Video attached to the tweet shows the Congress members inside the grounds of the center talking to employees. Other clips show them being threatened with arrest for trespass by uniformed officials. Associated Press contributed to this report
10-05-2025
- Politics
Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, released after arrest at immigration detention center
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was released after spending several hours in custody following his arrest at a new federal immigration detention center he has been protesting against. Baraka was accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings to leave the Delaney Hall facility and was finally released around 8 p.m. Friday. Stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights, he told waiting supporters: 'The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong.' The mayor said he could not speak about his case, citing a promise he made to lawyers and the judge. But he voiced full-throated support for everyone living in his community, immigrants included. 'All of us here, every last one of us, I don't care what background you come from, what nationality, what language you speak,' Baraka said, 'at some point we have to stop these people from causing division between us.' Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration. He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues. Linda Baraka, the mayor's wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband. 'They didn't arrest anyone else. They didn't ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,' she said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him. Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka trespassed at the detention facility, which is run by private prison operator Geo Group. Habba said Baraka had 'chosen to disregard the law.' Video of the incident showed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the public side of the gate to the facility. Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New Jersey's congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in attempting to enter the facility. When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates. 'There was yelling and pushing,' Martinez said. 'Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.' The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the lawmakers had not asked for a tour of Delaney Hall, which the agency said it would have facilitated. The department said that as a bus carrying detainees was entering in the afternoon 'a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.' Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper said the three lawmakers went there unannounced because they planned to inspect it, not take a scheduled tour. 'They arrived, explained to the guards and the officials at the facility that they were there to exercise their oversight authority,' he said, adding that they were allowed to enter and inspect the center sometime between 3 and 4 p.m. Watson Coleman later said the DHS statement inaccurately characterized the visit. 'Contrary to a press statement put out by DHS we did not 'storm' the detention center,' she wrote. 'The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn't even correctly count the number of Representatives present. We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.' In video of the altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not enter the facility because 'you are not a congress member.' Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: 'They're talking about coming back to arrest you.' 'I'm not on their property. They can't come out on the street and arrest me,' Baraka replied. Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, 'Shame,' Baraka was dragged back through the gate in handcuffs. Several civil rights and immigration reform advocates, as well as government officials, condemned Baraka's arrest. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office is defending a state law barring private immigration detention facilities, criticized the arrest during a seemingly peaceful protest and said no state or local law enforcement agencies were involved. Rep. Menendez said in a statement that as members of Congress, they have the legal right to carry out oversight at DHS facilities without prior notice and have done so twice already this year. But on Friday, 'Throughout every step of this visit, ICE attempted to intimidate everyone involved and impede our ability to conduct oversight.' The two-story building next to a county prison formerly operated as a halfway house. In February, ICE awarded a 15-year contract to The Geo Group Inc. to run the detention center. Geo valued the contract at $1 billion, in an unusually long and large agreement for ICE. The announcement was part of President Donald Trump's plans to sharply increase detention beds nationwide from a budget of about 41,000 beds this year. Baraka sued Geo soon after the deal was announced. Geo touted the Delaney Hall contract during an earnings call with shareholders Wednesday, with CEO David Donahue saying it was expected to generate more than $60 million a year in revenue. He said the facility began the intake process May 1. Hall said the activation of the center and another in Michigan would increase capacity under contract with ICE from around 20,000 beds to around 23,000.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, released after arrest at immigration detention center
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was released after spending several hours in custody following his arrest at a new federal immigration detention center he has been protesting against. Baraka was accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings to leave the Delaney Hall facility and was finally released around 8 p.m. Friday. Stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights, he told waiting supporters: 'The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong.' The mayor said he could not speak about his case, citing a promise he made to lawyers and the judge. But he voiced full-throated support for everyone living in his community, immigrants included. 'All of us here, every last one of us, I don't care what background you come from, what nationality, what language you speak,' Baraka said, 'at some point we have to stop these people from causing division between us.' Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration. He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues. Linda Baraka, the mayor's wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband. 'They didn't arrest anyone else. They didn't ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,' she said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him. Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka trespassed at the detention facility, which is run by private prison operator Geo Group. Habba said Baraka had 'chosen to disregard the law.' Video of the incident showed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the public side of the gate to the facility. Witnesses describe a heated argument Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New Jersey's congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in attempting to enter the facility. When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates. 'There was yelling and pushing,' Martinez said. 'Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.' The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the lawmakers had not asked for a tour of Delaney Hall, which the agency said it would have facilitated. The department said that as a bus carrying detainees was entering in the afternoon 'a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.' Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper said the three lawmakers went there unannounced because they planned to inspect it, not take a scheduled tour. 'They arrived, explained to the guards and the officials at the facility that they were there to exercise their oversight authority,' he said, adding that they were allowed to enter and inspect the center sometime between 3 and 4 p.m. Watson Coleman later said the DHS statement inaccurately characterized the visit. 'Contrary to a press statement put out by DHS we did not 'storm' the detention center,' she wrote. 'The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn't even correctly count the number of Representatives present. We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.' Video shows the mayor standing on the public side of the gate In video of the altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not enter the facility because 'you are not a congress member.' Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: 'They're talking about coming back to arrest you.' 'I'm not on their property. They can't come out on the street and arrest me,' Baraka replied. Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, 'Shame,' Baraka was dragged back through the gate in handcuffs. Several civil rights and immigration reform advocates, as well as government officials, condemned Baraka's arrest. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office is defending a state law barring private immigration detention facilities, criticized the arrest during a seemingly peaceful protest and said no state or local law enforcement agencies were involved. Rep. Menendez said in a statement that as members of Congress, they have the legal right to carry out oversight at DHS facilities without prior notice and have done so twice already this year. But on Friday, 'Throughout every step of this visit, ICE attempted to intimidate everyone involved and impede our ability to conduct oversight.' The detention center The two-story building next to a county prison formerly operated as a halfway house. In February, ICE awarded a 15-year contract to The Geo Group Inc. to run the detention center. Geo valued the contract at $1 billion, in an unusually long and large agreement for ICE. The announcement was part of President Donald Trump's plans to sharply increase detention beds nationwide from a budget of about 41,000 beds this year. Baraka sued Geo soon after the deal was announced. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Geo touted the Delaney Hall contract during an earnings call with shareholders Wednesday, with CEO David Donahue saying it was expected to generate more than $60 million a year in revenue. He said the facility began the intake process May 1. Hall said the activation of the center and another in Michigan would increase capacity under contract with ICE from around 20,000 beds to around 23,000. DHS said in its statement that the facility has the proper permits and inspections have been cleared. ___ Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
10-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mayor Baraka of Newark, New Jersey, arrested at immigration detention center he has been protesting
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday at a new federal immigration detention center he has been protesting against and was held in custody for several hours. Baraka was released shortly after 8 p.m. and, after stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights, told waiting supporters: 'The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong.' The mayor said he could not speak about his case, citing a promise he made to lawyers and the judge. But he voiced full-throated support for everyone living in his community, immigrants included. 'All of us here, every last one of us, I don't care what background you come from, what nationality, what language you speak,' Baraka said, 'at some point we have to stop these people from causing division between us.' Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration. He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues. Linda Baraka, the mayor's wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband. 'They didn't arrest anyone else. They didn't ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,' she said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him. Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka committed trespass and ignored warnings from Homeland Security personnel to leave Delaney Hall, a detention facility run by private prison operator Geo Group. Habba said Baraka had 'chosen to disregard the law.' Video of the incident showed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the public side of the gate to the facility. Witnesses describe a heated argument Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New Jersey's congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in attempting to enter the facility. When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates. 'There was yelling and pushing,' Martinez said. 'Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.' In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the lawmakers had not asked for a tour of the facility. The department said further that as a bus carrying detainees was entering, 'a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.' Homeland Security did not respond to questions about why only the mayor was arrested. Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper said the lawmakers went to the facility early in the afternoon unannounced because they planned to inspect it, not take a scheduled tour. 'They arrived, explained to the guards and the officials at the facility that they were there to exercise their oversight authority,' he said, adding that they were allowed to enter and inspect the center sometime between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. DHS, in its statement after Baraka's arrest, said Menendez, Watson Coleman and a number of protesters were 'holed up in a guard shack' at the facility. '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,' McLaughlin said. Watson Coleman said the DHS statement inaccurately characterized the visit. 'Contrary to a press statement put out by DHS we did not 'storm' the detention center,' she wrote. 'The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn't even correctly count the number of Representatives present. We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.' Video shows the mayor standing on the public side of the gate In video of the altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he cannot join a tour of the facility because 'you are not a congress member.' Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: 'They're talking about coming back to arrest you.' 'I'm not on their property. They can't come out on the street and arrest me,' Baraka replied. Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, 'Shame,' Baraka was dragged back through the gate in handcuffs. 'The ICE personnel came out aggressively to arrest him and grab him,' said Julie Moreno, a New Jersey state captain of American Families United. 'It didn't make any sense why they chose that moment to grab him while he was outside the gates.' Several civil rights and immigration reform advocates, as well as government officials, condemned Baraka's arrest. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office is defending a state law barring private immigration detention facilities, criticized the arrest during a seemingly peaceful protest and said no state or local law enforcement agencies were involved. Rep. Menendez said in a statement that as members of Congress, they have the legal right to carry out oversight at DHS facilities without prior notice and have done so twice already this year. But on Friday, 'Throughout every step of this visit, ICE attempted to intimidate everyone involved and impede our ability to conduct oversight.' The detention center The two-story building next to a county prison formerly operated as a halfway house. In February, ICE awarded a 15-year contract to The Geo Group Inc. to run the detention center. Geo valued the contract at $1 billion, in an unusually long and large agreement for ICE. The announcement was part of President Donald Trump's plans to sharply increase detention beds nationwide from a budget of about 41,000 beds this year. Baraka sued Geo soon after the deal was announced. Geo touted the Delaney Hall contract during an earnings call with shareholders Wednesday, with CEO David Donahue saying it was expected to generate more than $60 million a year in revenue. He said the facility began the intake process May 1. Hall said the activation of the center and another in Michigan would increase capacity under contract with ICE from around 20,000 beds to around 23,000.
