(Bloomberg) — Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was arrested Friday as he protested at a controversial private detention facility that is expected to play a key role in President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportation of immigrants.
Baraka “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself” from the detention facility in Newark, according to a post on X by Alina Habba, interim US Attorney in New Jersey.
“He was definitely arrested and handcuffed,” Susan Garofalo, a press representative for the city of Newark, said in an interview. It wasn’t immediately clear what charges Baraka may face and when he may appear in federal court in Newark.
The arrest escalates a standoff between the Trump administration and Baraka over a 1,000-bed facility known as Delaney Hall operated by GEO Group Inc. Baraka, who is running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey governor next month, has protested several times at the facility, and the city has sued the US to block its use.
Newark has sued to prevent GEO Group from reopening the facility, arguing the company doesn’t have valid permits. On May 1, the company began housing detainees in Delaney Hall, near Newark Liberty International Airport, where the government could stage deportation flights.
Baraka has criticized GEO Group for refusing to allow city inspectors inside and made his standoff with the company a focal point in his campaign for governor. In an interview, he accused the company of profiting from Trump’s roundup of the kind of immigrants who built Newark, whose 304,000 residents make it New Jersey’s most populous city.
“It’s very clear to me, it’s obvious what’s happening here,” Baraka said. “They’re profiting from other people’s demise.”
GEO Group’s spokesperson said Delaney Hall has a valid certificate of occupancy, complies with all “contracted health and safety requirements” and for years housed ICE detainees.
–With assistance from Michael Smith.
(Updates with background on Baraka in last paragraph.)
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