Well, here we go again—another Democrat grandstanding about “justice” and “oversight,” only to wind up in handcuffs. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka found out the hard way that federal facilities aren’t playgrounds for virtue signaling. On Friday afternoon, Baraka was arrested by federal agents at the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in a scene that looked more like a Netflix docudrama than your average oversight visit.
Let’s unpack this mess. According to the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, Baraka ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers to leave the premises. Her statement didn’t mince words: “The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass… He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.” Now where have we heard that line before?
Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at the Delaney Hall ICE detention center after an argument with agents. Members of congress here for a scheduled visit, were shoved after trying to include Baraka in conversations after he gained entry through the gate.@news12nj #newark @News12NJ pic.twitter.com/6UDQWiIhQ7
— Amanda Lee (@amandaleetv) May 9, 2025
The drama started when Baraka tried to insert himself into a congressional delegation’s visit to the ICE facility. It was supposed to be a routine tour. But let’s be real—when a big-city sanctuary mayor barges into a federal detention center already under scrutiny, the odds of “routine” go out the window. Reports say he was first stopped at the gate, later allowed in, but then stuck around where he wasn’t supposed to be. And that’s when things went sideways.
Footage from News12NJ shows Baraka being hauled out in handcuffs after what witnesses called a heated exchange. Federal agents weren’t having it—and neither was DHS, which slammed Baraka for endangering ICE personnel and detainees with his stunt. “The sanctuary mayor of Newark and his political antics are endangering ICE personnel,” said Tricia McLaughlin from DHS. That’s not exactly a glowing performance review.
Now, Baraka’s defenders will say he was just doing his job—overseeing facilities in his city. But let’s not kid ourselves. This is the same guy who’s spent years throwing shade at federal immigration enforcement, calling ICE centers “inhumane” while defending Newark’s status as a sanctuary city. Translation: he’s happy to make noise about illegal immigration, just not to enforce any laws about it.
And let’s not forget, Delaney Hall costs taxpayers $63 million a year. That’s a lot of money for a facility Baraka claims is operating with “safety violations” and no transparency. If that’s true, maybe he should’ve filed a lawsuit instead of playing activist-in-chief.
This isn’t oversight—it’s chaos dressed up in a city hall lapel pin.