Newark mayor Ras Baraka denies trespassing at immigration detention center following arrest

NEW JERSEY - Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested outside a newly opened federal immigration detention center on Friday. The Democrat, who is running for governor, says he was invited to the facility and did not trespass. But federal officials say he ignored warnings to leave.

What we know:

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has denied trespassing at a new federal immigration detention center during a confrontation that led to his arrest while he was at the facility with three members of Congress.

Baraka, who had been protesting the center’s opening this week, was released around 8 p.m. Friday night after spending several hours in custody. He was accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings to leave the Delaney Hall facility.

Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for public affairs with the Department of Homeland Security, said in an interview with CNN on Saturday that the investigation was ongoing. The department also released more video of the confrontation.

McLaughlin also accused Baraka, who is seeking his party's nomination for governor, of playing "political games."

What they're saying:

"I'm shocked by all the lies that were told here," Baraka said. He stated he had been invited to the facility for a press conference. "No one else arrested, I was invited in then they arrested me on the sidewalk."

Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba posted that the mayor "committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center," and that he had been taken into custody.

Delaney's recent opening

Timeline:

Mayor Baraka had been protesting the opening of Delaney Hall throughout the week – Delaney Hall is an ICE detention center that opened May 1, according to the private prison company that operates the center, GEO Group.

Baraka's office issued a statement the day the opening of the detainment center was announced: "Delaney Hall cannot lawfully open in Newark at this time."

He's argued that the 1,000-bed detention center should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues.

Baraka was attempting to join a scheduled tour of the facility being taken by three of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman. when he was taken into custody, The Associated Press reports. 

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."

Witnesses say federal agents "threw organizers to the ground" before they handcuffed Baraka and took him into custody. 

 Rep. LaMonica McIver says she and Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman were assaulted by ICE Officers at Delaney Hall.

"They not only arrested the mayor of Newark but put their hands on two members of Congress."

What happened:

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."

NewarkImmigration