On May 9, 2025, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka was arrested outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey, during a protest against the facility’s operations. The arrest marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Baraka’s administration and federal immigration authorities, as the mayor has been a vocal opponent of the detention center’s reopening under the Trump administration’s immigration policies. This incident has drawn national attention, highlighting tensions between local governments and federal immigration enforcement in sanctuary cities like Newark.

Background of the Protest

Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed facility owned by the private prison company GEO Group, was reopened in early 2025 to process detained immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation initiatives. The facility, which previously operated as an immigration detention center from 2011 to 2017, has been at the center of controversy since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced its plans to resume operations there. Newark officials, led by Baraka, have argued that GEO Group lacks the necessary permits and inspections required by city law, rendering the facility’s operations illegal.

Baraka, a Democrat running for governor of New Jersey, has positioned himself as a staunch defender of immigrant rights, framing the fight against Delaney Hall as a matter of human rights and constitutional due process. On May 6, he led a predawn demonstration outside the facility, joined by activists and immigrant justice groups, to block its operations. The protest was part of a broader legal and public campaign by Newark to halt the detention center’s activities, including a lawsuit filed in April 2025 alleging that GEO Group violated city construction codes and failed to allow safety inspections.

The Arrest

On May 9, 2025, Baraka returned to Delaney Hall with city officials and activists to continue their efforts to serve summonses to GEO Group for alleged code violations, including the lack of a valid certificate of occupancy and failure to provide an evacuation plan. According to posts on X, the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed that Baraka was taken into custody by federal authorities, specifically Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), after he allegedly committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings to leave the premises.

The arrest occurred around 2:45 p.m. EDT, as reported by local activist Kadi Agoba, who noted that Baraka was detained approximately ten minutes prior to her post. Another post by journalist Prem Thakker described the arrest as a direct response to Baraka’s protests against the facility, which is seen as a key component of Trump’s deportation agenda.

Details of the arrest remain limited, as ICE and HSI have not released an official statement beyond confirming the incident. However, sources indicate that Baraka’s actions were part of a deliberate strategy to challenge the facility’s operations through civil disobedience. Baraka has previously stated he is unafraid of prosecution for resisting federal immigration policies, declaring on January 24, 2025, during a press conference about an earlier ICE raid, “If [Trump] thinks that we’re just going to go to jail quietly, he’s got another thing coming.”

Context and Reactions

The arrest comes amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement in Newark, a self-declared sanctuary city. In January 2025, Baraka condemned an ICE raid at Ocean Seafood Depot, a local business, where agents detained three undocumented workers and questioned U.S. citizens, including a military veteran, without a warrant. Baraka accused ICE of violating the Fourth Amendment and creating a “blanket of fear” in immigrant communities. The incident galvanized local and state officials, including Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim, who criticized ICE’s tactics as fear-inducing and unconstitutional.

Baraka’s arrest has sparked outrage among immigrant advocates and progressive leaders. Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, described the detention center as part of a broader pattern of federal overreach, stating in January that ICE operates like a “rogue agency.” Posts on X reflect similar sentiments, with users framing Baraka’s arrest as an attack on local resistance to Trump’s immigration policies.

Conversely, GEO Group and federal authorities have defended the facility’s operations, arguing that Delaney Hall complies with federal contracts and has a valid certificate of occupancy issued by Newark in the past. A GEO Group spokesperson accused Baraka of politicizing the issue for his gubernatorial campaign, claiming that the facility creates “hundreds of unionized jobs” and supports the federal government’s efforts to detain “dangerous criminal illegal aliens.”

Legal and Political Implications

Baraka’s arrest raises significant questions about the balance of power between local and federal authorities, particularly in sanctuary cities. Newark’s lawsuit against GEO Group, currently pending in federal court, argues that the facility’s operations violate local ordinances. Baraka has vowed to escalate the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary, framing it as a constitutional issue of state and local authority versus federal overreach.

Politically, the arrest could bolster Baraka’s progressive credentials in the Democratic primary for governor, where he has sought to distinguish himself as a champion of immigrant rights and social justice. However, it also risks alienating moderate voters and intensifying scrutiny from federal authorities, especially given the Trump administration’s threats to prosecute local officials who resist immigration enforcement.

Conclusion

The arrest of Mayor Ras Baraka on May 9, 2025, underscores the deepening divide between Newark’s local government and federal immigration authorities. As protests against Delaney Hall continue, Baraka’s detention may galvanize further resistance in sanctuary cities nationwide, while also testing the legal boundaries of local opposition to federal policy. The incident is likely to remain a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement and the role of private detention facilities in Trump’s deportation plans.

Sources

•  The New York Times: “Tense Standoff at New ICE Detention Center as Mayor Joins Protest”  

•  POLITICO: “ICE facility opens in New Jersey amid legal fight, city’s mayor says”  

•  NJ.com: “Newark mayor confronted by armed ICE officers at private detention center”  

•  Fox News: “Newark mayor takes fight to the gates of ICE detention center amid legal battle over alleged safety violations”  

•  New Jersey Globe: “Baraka, protesters say they’ll fight against planned ICE detention center”  

•  NorthJersey.com: “Newark says prison company blocked inspectors from checking new ICE detention center”  

•  Washington Times: “Ras Baraka, N.J. mayor, blasts ICE for ‘blanket of fear’ after illegal immigrants arrested in Newark”  

•  X Post by @AlinaHabba, May 9, 2025

•  X Post by @USAttyHabba, May 9, 2025