NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was taken into custody by homeland security at an ICE facility in New Jersey on Friday afternoon, according to Alina Habba, the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
“The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon,” read the social media post from Habba.
Baraka is being held at the ICE Newark field office.
This is a developing story please check back for updates.
More context, based on this article:
The mayor refused to leave an ICE facility because the facility (Delaney Hall) is ignoring city requirements for inspections. Newark demands these safety inspections in part because the building is rated to house 1000 people, and ICE won’t or can’t say how many detainees are housed there. ICE is leasing this building from GEO, a private prison group.
So this isn’t just about adherence to fire codes. It’s about protecting the most vulnerable people from potentially deadly abuse by the US federal government.
Edit: Mayor was leading protests outside the facility. https://youtu.be/T9vbVKnNr6Q
Mayor and City Counsel are heroes, is what I read from that.
Tear up the fucking road going into that place and don’t let anyone in.