Newark Mayor Ras Baraka being taken into custody by federal agents at Delaney Hall, an immigrant jail in Newark, on May 9, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman)
By Nikita Biryukov
Republished with permission of N.J. Monitor
Democrats seeking the governorship this year quickly condemned fellow candidate Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s arrest by federal immigration officials Friday, while Republican candidates blasted Baraka’s actions as “shameful” and praised agents for arresting him.
Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said in a statement that Baraka had “committed trespass” at Delaney Hall, a private 1,100-bed immigrant detention center in Newark. Baraka, who alleges the building’s owner opened it without obtaining required city permits first, has been protesting outside the facility this week and making failed attempts to enter and inspect the building.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, a Democrat, called the arrest “wrong” and said it sets a “dangerous precedent.”
“Regardless of your views on ICE, the law is the law — and any facility operating in a New Jersey municipality must follow it. If Delaney Hall doesn’t have proper local authorization, Mayor Baraka had every reason to be there, and every right to demand accountability.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat, demanded Baraka’s immediate release.
“It’s absurd that he’s being held," Gottheimer said. "As I’ve said before, the Trump Administration should not be using Delaney Hall, a crowded private prison, as an immigrant jail. It’s an environment ripe with mistreatment and abuse.”
Baraka is reportedly being held at a separate ICE facility in Newark. On Friday afternoon, dozens of his supporters gathered outside it, chanting for his release.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, in a statement called Baraka’s arrest “an absolute outrage.”
“The Trump administration’s decision to reopen Delaney Hall, a private, for-profit prison to detain immigrants won’t make New Jerseyans safer, and it won’t fix our broken immigration system,” Sherrill said.
Sean Spiller, a Democrat and the president of the statewide teachers union, said he will appear outside Delaney Hall Saturday morning to protest Baraka’s arrest and he called on his opponents to join him.
“What we saw at Delaney Hall goes beyond politics. It’s about right and wrong, and what I saw was wrong. To see Mayor Baraka taken out in cuffs because he wants to see with his own eyes, as the mayor of Newark, the conditions in Delaney Hall, that was wrong,” Spiller said in a video posted to social media.
Former state Sen. Steve Sweeney, a Democrat, said he has always known Baraka to “stand up and fight for what he believes in.”
“Donald Trump’s disregard for the rule of law was on full display this afternoon,” he said. “The Mayor has every right to enforce the laws of his city and should be released immediately.”
There are five Republicans running in the June 10 primary for the party’s nod for governor. Two of them fired their criticism at Baraka.
“In Newark, the airport is in the midst of an unprecedented & dangerous meltdown, the public schools are failing students & families, and there is crime in the streets every day. And yet its Mayor and leading Democrat candidate for Governor, @rasjbaraka, is busy shilling for illegal Immigrants at an ICE detention center with a cheap publicity stunt. Shameful,” former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli said.
Bill Spadea, a Republican former radio talk show host, thanked Habba for “ensuring that the rule of law can continue.”
“All of the other candidates should join me in condemning Ras Baraka and stand in solidarity with ICE, Tom Homan, Alina Habba and everyone working to enforce the law and end illegal immigration in New Jersey,” Spadea said.
Three Republican candidates — State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union), former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, and contractor Justin Barbera — did not immediately issue statements on Baraka’s arrest.
