Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility in Bold Protest

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested At Ice Facility In Bold Protest

In a move that has everyone talking, Newark’s Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested this week while protesting at an ICE detention center in Newark. Yep, you read that right.

The mayor was nabbed by authorities after he refused to leave the Delaney Hall facility, which is under fire for allegedly operating without proper permits.

Baraka was joined by a handful of big-name political figures, including Democratic reps Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, all standing against the detention center’s operations.

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. He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this…

— Alina Habba (@AlinaHabba) May 9, 2025

The group was attempting to shine a light on the situation, but things escalated when Baraka, refusing to comply with orders to vacate, was taken into custody.

“I don’t care who you are. No one is above the law,” declared Alina Habba, the interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, after Baraka’s arrest. While she didn’t mince words, we can’t help but think this situation is adding a bit of drama to an already intense political climate.

Baraka has been an outspoken critic of ICE and former President Trump’s immigration policies, so this protest comes as no surprise. But still—seeing a sitting mayor arrested like this? Wild.

His spokesperson confirmed that he’s now being held at a nearby CBP office, but no word yet on what’s next for the fiery mayor.