NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) – Newark Mayor Ras Baraka shared new videos of his arrest at an ICE facility that he says prove he didn’t trespass.
Baraka was arrested on May 9 outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center. He was accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to leave the facility, according to Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey. Baraka was later released.
Baraka on Wednesday shared new videos of the moments leading up to his arrest, which he said “dispel[s]” the narrative that he and other elected officials stormed the building.
Videos shared by Baraka purportedly show the mayor waiting outside a gate before someone in the facility opens the gate, letting Baraka in. Another video shows the same person opening the gate to let Baraka out.
According to the Associated Press, a federal official told Baraka he could not enter the facility because he is not a congress member.
A third video shared by Baraka shows a chaotic scene outside the gate as the mayor is put into custody. During the confrontation, Baraka seemingly tells an official in an HSI jacket, “You told me to get off the property and I did.”
“None of my actions were orchestrated or preconceived, and this arrest occurred because I was specifically targeted by this Administration,” Baraka said in a statement.
Other elected officials, including Rep. Robert Menendez Jr. and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, were also detained at the facility, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.
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