Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, provided an update on Friday regarding the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. He was arrested for trespassing at a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility after he refused multiple requests to leave the premises. During an interview with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, Habba refuted claims made by three Democrats from New Jersey’s congressional delegation, who were protesting at the facility, that federal immigration authorities treated them and Baraka poorly.
“Congresspeople have the right to investigate, and we allowed them in—number one,” Habba said in response after accusing the Democratic lawmakers of politicizing what took place at the ICE facility. “Number two, the mayor was inside the facility and was warned and asked to leave several times, more than once. He refused to leave, was put under arrest inside the facility, walked out when he was told he was under arrest, and then was cuffed. That’s what happened.
“Thanks to our team, who I stand behind—who many people don’t understand, the Department of Justice encompasses that. They did everything correctly,” she continued. “If you look at the individual Twitter accounts, they have been openly saying they will go in. There’s a reason the congresspeople are standing out there running amok and running their mouths as usual. But I will tell you this: the mayor was inside and told he would be under arrest inside when he refused to leave after several notifications that he should remove himself. He chose not to do so and then was placed under arrest when he walked out of the facility.”
Habba: I can confirm that we have put the Mayor under arrest..
MacCallum: He’s in custody?
Habba: Yes pic.twitter.com/1dLaAXWDVy
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 9, 2025
The incident occurred outside Delaney Hall, a detention facility in Newark that houses undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Several House Democrats, including New Jersey Representatives Bonnie Watson-Coleman, LaMonica McIver, and Rob Menendez, attempted to bypass security to demand access for oversight of the facility. They later claimed they were mistreated by ICE personnel, but of course, body cam footage released by DHS shows just the opposite:
NEW: DHS has provided @FoxNews ICE bodycam video from the altercation at the Delaney Hall detention facility yesterday. They say the video clearly shows @RepLaMonica (red clothing) shoving/elbowing her way past a DHS agent to get past the gate and into the property, followed… pic.twitter.com/GOAKm6U80W
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 10, 2025