Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was arrested, but then quickly released after a heated physical dispute at the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in March 2025 in Newark, NJ. Mayor Baraka was at Delaney Hall with several members of the New Jersey Congressional delegation to inspect the facility, pursuant to their authority and responsibility to engage in regular oversight of immigration detention centers. On this day, while the Congressional delegation was at the facility, ICE suddenly told the Mayor that he must leave right then or he would be arrested. However, after Baraka had walked back out the gate, DHS officers moved to arrest him anyway. Protesters outside the facility, as well as the visiting Congressmembers defended him, and a chaotic crush resulted. DHS eventually pulled Mayor Baraka and arrested him. Ultimately, no charges were filed, but the arrest was a clear example of the administration’s efforts to suppress the pro-immigrant work of elected officials seeking oversight and transparency.