Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at Delaney Hall, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. Baraka, accompanied by Democratic Representatives Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver, attempted to conduct an oversight visit amid concerns about the facility’s reopening without proper permits and adherence to local ordinances. They were joined by protesters holding Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyes.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused the lawmakers of “storming” the facility as a bus of detainees was entering, a characterization disputed by the representatives’ offices . Baraka was taken into custody after allegedly trespassing and ignoring warnings from Homeland Security personnel .
Delaney Hall, operated by private prison contractor GEO Group under a 15-year, $1 billion contract, recently reopened following President Trump’s second-term inauguration. The facility’s houses illehalmimmigrantsbuncluding MS-13 members.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions between Democratic officials and the federal government over immigration enforcement and detention practices.
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