ICE agents Arresen the Mayor of Newark Ras Baraka at the protest of the detention center

Newark’s mayor, Ras Baraka, was arrested on Friday ata federal immigration arrest centerWhere he has been Protestant for his opening this week, a federal prosecutor said.

Alina Habba, interim solicitor in the United States of New Jersey, told the social platform X That Baraka made a mistake and ignored the warnings of national security staff to leave Delaney Hall, a detention installation led by a private prison operator GEO.

Habba said that Baraka had “chosen to dispense with the law” and added that he was taken in remand.

Baraka, a Democrat that runs to successful Governor Phil Murphy, has adopted the struggle with the Trump administration for illegal immigration.

He has aggressively receded against the construction and opening of the 1,000 beds arrest center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open due to construction permit problems.

Witnesses said that the arrest took place after Baraka tried to join -three members of the New Jersey Congress delegation, representatives Robert Menendez, Lamonica Mciver and Bonnie Watson Coleman, who sought to enter the facility.

When federal officials blocked their entry, a stunned argument exploded, according to Viri Martinez, an activist at the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. He continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the doors.

“There were shouts and pushing,” said Martinez. “Then the officers turned Baraka. They threw one of the organizers on the ground. They put Baraka in the handcuffs and put it in a scoring car.”

In a statement, the National Security Department said that the legislators had not requested a tour of the installation, contrary to the accounts of the witnesses. The department also said that when a bus he was detained was entering, “a group of protesters, including two members of the United States Chamber of Representatives, stormed the door and entered the detention installation.”

National security did not answer specific questions as to whether the members of the House had a scheduled visit and why only the mayor was arrested.

The statement said that Menendez, Watson Coleman and several protesters were “locked in a guard hut” at the installation.

Deputy Secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, was quoted in the Declaration as “beyond a strange political acrobatics” and said that he jeopardized the safety of agents and detainees.

“Congressional members are not above the law and cannot illegally enter the arrest facilities. If these members had requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour,” said McLaughlin.

In the video of the Altercat shared with Associated Press, a federal official can be heard in a jacket with the logo of national security investigations telling Baraka that he could not join a tour of the installation because “you are not a member of the congress”.

Baraka then left the secure area and joined the protesters on the public side of the door. The video showed him by talking to a man in a dress, who said, “They are talking about arresting again.”

“I’m not on their property. They can’t go out and arrest -me,” Baraka responded.

Minutes later several ice agents, some who wore face -to -face coatings, surrounded him and others on the public side. When the protesters cried, “shame”, Baraka was dragged by the security door of the handcuffs.

“The ICE staff came out aggressively to arrest and take it,” said Julie Moreno, captain of the North -American Families in New Jersey. “It made no sense why they chose that moment to take it while outside the doors.”

An email and telephone message left at the mayor’s communications office was not immediately answered on Friday afternoon. Kabir Moss, spokesman for Baraka’s Gubernatorial campaign, said: “We are actively watching and providing more details as they are available.”

The two -storey building next to a regional prison used to work at home halfway.

In February, ICE awarded a 15 -year contract to the GEO Group Inc. to run the Newark Detention Center. GEO evaluated the contract to a billion dollars, in an unusually long and large agreement for ice.

The announcement was part of President Donald Trump’s plans to sharpen arrest beds across the country from a budget of about 41,000 beds this year.

Baraka sued Geo Group shortly after the agreement announcement.

Geo traveled the contract with Delaney Hall during the winning call with the shareholders on Wednesday, with CEO David Donahue said that more than $ 60 million in income was expected to be expected. He said that the installation started the entry process on May 1.

Hall said that the activation of the installation and another in Michigan would increase the total capacity under ice contract from about 20,000 beds to about 23,000.

DHS said in his statement that the installation has the right permits and inspections.

This story originally presented to Fortune.com

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