In a move that’s drawing sharp reactions, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is defending his arrest at a recent protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, comparing the moment to the civil rights battles of the Jim Crow era.
During an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Baraka insisted that his arrest wasn’t intentional but suggested that his actions—and those of other elected Democrats—are part of a larger moral fight against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
“I didn’t go there to get arrested,” Baraka told ABC’s Kyra Phillips. “But this is a moral moment. It’s like Jim Crow, when leaders from all faiths, elected officials, community activists, decided to put themselves in harm’s way to get rid of a system that was dangerous, that was unequal, that treated people inhumane[ly].”
Baraka was taken into custody last week during a heated demonstration outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey. He was joined by several other Democrats, including Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver, all of whom were arrested during the protest.
The group claimed to be there for a press conference, but federal authorities said the situation quickly escalated. ICE officials allege that the Democrat politicians and accompanying protesters began pushing and shoving near the entrance of the facility.
Baraka maintains his presence was peaceful and purposeful:
“I went there to be a part of a press conference. I want to say that over and over again, because people keep saying that I went there to get arrested, which is not true.”
Despite that, he emphasized what he sees as the larger significance of the event:
“This is the moral moment that we’re in today. We can choose to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist or do something about it.”
Baraka’s decision to compare his protest against immigration enforcement to the fight against racial segregation has raised eyebrows, particularly among conservatives.
By invoking the Jim Crow era—a time of legally sanctioned racial segregation in the South—Baraka seems to be equating the detention of illegal immigrants to the systemic oppression of Black Americans. It’s a comparison that many find exaggerated and misleading, especially considering the legal process involved in immigration enforcement.
Baraka doubled down on his stance:
“I wouldn’t blame anybody if they protested,” he said.
The protest centered around Delaney Hall, an ICE detention center that has become the focus of a growing dispute between federal immigration officials and local Democrat leaders in New Jersey.
President Trump’s administration insists that facilities like Delaney Hall are essential for detaining violent illegal immigrants while they await removal proceedings. But Baraka and his allies argue the administration is “weaponizing law enforcement” and operating without proper permits to house migrants at the location.
Baraka isn’t the only Democrat calling out the administration. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman has said:
“This is not America. This is the sick man’s idea of what he thinks he can do to any one of us, or all of us that he doesn’t like.”
This isn’t the first time Democrat officials have taken part in protests or confrontations over immigration policy. But the comparison to Jim Crow and the readiness of public officials to get arrested to make a point is becoming increasingly common—and controversial.
The Trump administration and its supporters argue that illegal immigration is a legal matter, not a civil rights issue, and accuse Democrat leaders of misusing their offices to push political theater rather than serious policy solutions.
As this standoff continues, it’s clear that Democrat officials are prepared to take bold—some say reckless—action to challenge the administration’s immigration policies. Whether this will rally support among their base or backfire in the court of public opinion remains to be seen.
In the meantime, Mayor Baraka stands by his actions and sees this moment as part of a broader battle:
“We can choose to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist or do something about it.”
