In an absurd diatribe, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, arrested May 9, 2025, at an ICE facility, decried his federal trespassing charge as a humiliating, politically motivated spectacle by the Trump administration.
However, Republicans such as Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS Assistant Secretary, and Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba provided much-needed context after the initial arrest. Each of these officials clarified that, despite his strong language, Baraka is not above the law.
In any case, Baraka began his discourse by mischaracterizing the events. “I mean, I obviously was charged with federal trespassing, and, you know, which is a classy misdemeanor, but, you know, going through this is just really humiliating and painful. But the reality is, this is what democracy is,” the Democrat rambled.
Speaking in an unclear and disorganized manner, he continued, “We are in dispute here, and we are just living in a time period now where if you are opposed to the ideas of people, you can be threatened with arrest or intimidation. And that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Continuing his screed, he opined, “That’s not the America that we want to be in. That’s not the America that people chose to move 1000s of miles from around the world to this is not this place, and they’re turning it into an authoritarianist government.”
When asked if he had regrets, the controversial democrat doubled down. “No, I don’t have any regrets at all. I went down there to support my congress people, my congresswoman from my district, Congresswoman Bronte Watson Coleman as well, who is like a mother to us here, and Congresswoman Menendez was also from our district,” he raved.
Still not done, he added, “I went down there to support them in the press conference, and I would do it again. Do it again. I have a right to go to those facilities. As the mayor of the city, fire inspector, has a right to be on those facilities. And it is not federal property is, in fact, private property. Geo is privately owned.”
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Rounding out his wild comments, Baraka said, “It’s a private prison that these people are getting $63 million to do this work, and they have to abide by local laws. That’s just a fact. I don’t care what our political differences is, they still have to abide by the law.”
Providing a more accurate summary of the events, Alina Habba noted, “The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon.”
Leveling a devastating critique, she threw the Democrats’ own words back at them, quipping, “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.”
Likewise, Tricia McLaughlin issued a curt response. “Members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond a bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and detainees at risk,” she said.
Watch the clip here:
Wrapping up her comments, she noted, “Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility. This is an evolving situation.”
Featured image from embedded video