Newark Mayor Ras Baraka being escorted away in handcuffs after outside Delaney Hall, a local jail in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday. It was significant that three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation toured the facility. They were looking at it because the Trump administration has been trying to turn the facility into an immigrant detention center. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents physically apprehended Baraka after a violent confrontation at the facility’s entrance.
Baraka’s arrest received widespread national media coverage right away. He it’s one of the most high-profile Democratic gubernatorial challengers in the state of New Jersey. He had been elected mayor since 2014, winning reelection convincingly in 2018 and 2022. For his efforts he is now one of half a dozen Democrats vying for this state’s gubernatorial primary this year—an unprecedentedly crowded field. He served on Newark’s Municipal Council from 2005 until being elected mayor.
The scuffle that led to Baraka’s arrest occurred as he was engaging with supporters and pressing against the Trump administration’s plans for Delaney Hall. That set off a chain of events that culminated in his arrest by ICE deportation agents. Just hours later, he was released, just before 8 p.m. ET. U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman’s office was able to confirm his release.
Baraka has established himself as an outspoken critic of the current administration, frequently tying local matters to larger national controversies. Following his release, he stated, “They don’t have to go too far to look for criminals. They just need to go to the Oval Office because there’s a criminal in the Oval Office.”
Delaney Hall has led to heated political battles. Additionally, the public is very much against its being converted into an immigrant detention facility. It’s no wonder that local leaders and activists alike are frightened by the prospect of these plans. They are afraid it will exacerbate the already dire state of immigration and community relations.
Baraka’s father, Amiri Baraka, was an iconic poet and activist. His mother, Amina Baraka, carved out her own space in the Black Arts Movement. Together, they have deeply shaped his political and cultural outlook. Their legacy undoubtedly still inspires his brand of governance and activism today in Newark.
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