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.
I hope New Jersey’s governor decides to deploy their national guard over this. If ICE arrests mayors, then they will inevitably work their way to the top. This is a red line.
Then Trump will just federalize the New Jersey National Guard. Which presidents can do. Putting the Guard directly under Trump’s (really SecDef Pete Hegseth’s) control, making the governor’s orders invalid. Removes the governor from the Guard’s chain of command.
That’s an existing presidential power as Commander-in-Chief. In better times used by a president to take over the Alabama National Guard to enforce anti-segregation federal law and protect a little black girl going to school. Now may be used by a mad king racist fascist to ensure nobody protects vulnerable brown and black people.
So let HitlerPig do it. Make him do it. Weaponize his virtuosic incompetence against him. Show the world, and history, who he really is.
Apparently 20-something states still have state militias/state guards, and NJ is one of those.
You know, the actual “well-regulated militias” that 2a refers to…
I think that could kind of pan out differently than the National Guard, since it’s fully under the purview of the state of NJ.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_State_Guard
That only works if the guard accepts his orders. Legally, they have no choice. But in practical terms, large groups of heavy armed men get to make their own decisions.
They have a legal obligation to refuse every unlawful order he gives, including all these immigration policies. The military is not Trump’s personal plaything, even if he wants it to be.
You and I both know they select those least likely to think for themselves. But one can hope.
It’ll be one hell of a bluff to assume he wouldn’t call out the army and go on martial law.