Johnson says arrest of Newark mayor an example of due process undermined

CHICAGO (WGN) — Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday called for the immediate release of Newark, New Jersey’s mayor following his arrest earlier in the day during a protest at a federal immigration detention center.

Ras Baraka was visiting Delaney Hall to conduct oversight after the building was turned into an facility for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Newark mayor has been protesting the opening of the facility throughout the week, saying its operators did not get proper permits, WGN Nexstar sister station WPIX reported.

Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka committed trespass and ignored warnings from Homeland Security personnel to leave the detention facility run by private prison operator Geo Group, the Associated Press reported.

“Mayor Baraka has a duty to make sure all facilities in his city are safe and compliant for residents of Newark. He further has a right to protest the allegations of unconstitutional practices at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark,” Johnson said in a statement released by his office. “His arrest today is an example of how the federal government’s overreach continues to undermine due process afforded by our Constitution.  

Johnson called Baraka a “political leader and a personal friend” whose vision and values inspired him early in his career.

Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration.

“We are in solidarity with Mayor Baraka,” Johnson’s statement concluded. “His courage in the face of injustice reminds us all of what is at stake and how we must show up to defend the rights of all people.”

Linda Baraka, the mayor’s wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband.

“They didn’t arrest anyone else. They didn’t ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,” she said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.