From Inspection to Injustice: Why Mayor Ras Baraka’s Arrest Is a Wake-Up Call for America

But the real story isn’t about trespass. It’s about a government system that has become increasingly hostile toward oversight, accountability, and immigrant communities.

What Ras Baraka Was Trying to Do

Mayor Baraka visited the Delaney Hall Detention Center, a privately operated ICE facility, to investigate credible reports of code violations and unsafe conditions, including:

• Possible fire code violations
• Substandard living conditions
• Refusal to allow city inspectors in

He was not staging a protest. He was performing a lawful inspection to protect public safety, as allowed under Newark’s municipal code. Instead, he was detained and arrested—sending a chilling message to elected officials across the country.

Ras Baraka: A Mayor for the People—Including Immigrants

Mayor Baraka has led Newark with a fierce commitment to racial, economic, and immigrant justice. Among his accomplishments:

• Declared Newark a sanctuary city
• Established legal defense funds for immigrants
• Blocked ICE from accessing schools and courtrooms without warrants
• Publicly condemned inhumane immigration policies under Trump—and the slow reforms under Biden

[Source: City of Newark – Office of the Mayor (https://www.newarknj.gov/departments/mayor)]

The Real Violations: Federal Misconduct Against Immigrants

While the Biden administration promised humane immigration reform, many Trump-era tactics remain intact, or have simply been repackaged. These include:

1. Privately Run ICE Detention Centers
   Facilities like Delaney Hall are still operated by for-profit contractors with long histories of lawsuits, abuse, and rights violations.
   [ACLU Report on Private Immigration Detention: https://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/immigrants-detention-centers-are-in-crisis]
2. Limited Oversight and Accountability
   Despite President Biden's promises, Congress has not passed robust ICE oversight legislation since 2021.
   [CRS Report: https://crsreports.congress.gov]
3. Expedited Removals Without Hearings
   Thousands continue to be deported without due process, especially at the border under "fast-track" policies.
   [American Immigration Council: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/overview-us-immigration-system]
4. Asylum Restrictions (Title 42 & Beyond)
   Title 42 was lifted in 2023, but new transit bans and digital barriers still deny many their right to asylum.
   [Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/09/us-bidens-border-plan-breaks-promise-refugees]

Violations of Law

🔹 Fourth Amendment – U.S. Constitution
ICE often conducts raids without judicial warrants, violating protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
[https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript]

🔹 Fourteenth Amendment – Equal Protection
The disproportionate targeting of Black, Latino, and Indigenous immigrants undermines equal treatment under the law.
[https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27#toc-amendment-xiv]

🔹 International Human Rights Law – UDHR
The U.S., as a founding member of the UN, is bound to:

• Article 9: Freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention
• Article 14: Right to seek asylum from persecution
• Article 16: Right to family unity

Family separation, indefinite detention, and mass deportations all violate these principles.
[https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights]

This Arrest Was a Political Message

Mayor Ras Baraka’s arrest was not about building codes—it was a retaliation against moral leadership. The message: if you defend immigrants, you will be silenced.

But Baraka has never bowed to fear. And neither will we.

We Stand with Ras

We call on:

1. Prosecutors to immediately drop all charges against Mayor Ras J. Baraka. This is not just about one arrest—it's about the dangerous direction our country is heading. We demand justice.
2. Congress to launch a full investigation into ICE violations and the abuse within privatized detention centers
3. Federal safeguards to be established for local officials who defend civil and human rights
4. The Trump administration to be held accountable for its ongoing violations of constitutional and international law—
   including the reactivation of family separation policies, raids on sanctuary cities, and denial of due process to asylum seekers

📚 References

1. U.S. Constitution – Fourth Amendment:
   https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
2. U.S. Constitution – Fourteenth Amendment:
   https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27#toc-amendment-xiv
3. Universal Declaration of Human Rights – United Nations:
   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
4. ACLU – ICE and Private Prisons:
   https://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/immigrants-detention-centers-are-in-crisis
5. Human Rights Watch – Biden’s Border Plan:
   https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/09/us-bidens-border-plan-breaks-promise-refugees
6. American Immigration Council – Overview of U.S. Immigration System:
   https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/overview-us-immigration-system
7. City of Newark Mayor’s Office:
   https://www.newarknj.gov/departments/mayor
8. Congressional Research Service Reports:
   https://crsreports.congress.gov