Might 18, 2025
Baraka says second mugshot was payback for opposing ICE insurance policies.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat, mentioned he believes federal prosecutors tried to humiliate him by forcing him to present fingerprints and take a second mugshot throughout his Might 15 processing. His arrest and trespassing costs stemmed from his attendance at a press convention outdoors an immigration detention heart alongside members of Congress.
In line with The Guardian, Baraka made these claims as a part of a procedural listening to in Justice of the Peace choose André Espinosa’s courtroom that coated scheduling for discovery within the case which lasted roughly quarter-hour.
There was some obvious confusion over whether or not Baraka had already been fingerprinted and processed. After the choose closed the proceedings, he said that Baraka nonetheless wanted to be processed by the U.S. Marshals Service—a directive that puzzled Baraka, who responded that he had already accomplished processing following his arrest.
Decide Espinosa mentioned that “brokers” processed Baraka, however not the marshals, which Baraka accepted by saying “Let’s go,” and motioning that he would go willingly with the marshals.
Later, after the listening to, Baraka delivered an evidence to his supporters outdoors the constructing as to why it took him so lengthy to come back out of the constructing.
“They’re attempting their finest to humiliate and degrade me as a lot as they probably can,” the mayor mentioned. “I really feel like what we did was fully right. We didn’t violate any legal guidelines. We stood up for the structure of this nation, the structure of the state of New Jersey.”
In line with Rahul Agarwal, considered one of Baraka’s attorneys, the protection will argue to dismiss the fees as a result of it’s a “selective prosecution” and Baraka was arrested by federal brokers on personal property, earlier than including that the mayor was the one one arrested in the course of the protest.
For context, Baraka has been outspoken towards Donald Trump’s immigration coverage and the opening of an ICE detention facility in Newark. Given these details, many expressed their views that the arrest and subsequent costs towards Baraka are types of political retribution for his principled stances.
In a dialog with The Nation, Baraka positioned his actions not as a protest, however merely the attendance of a press convention whereas expressing his disdain for The GEO Group
The GEO Group is a personal jail firm that owns Delaney Corridor, the location the place Baraka was arrested, and has a 15-year, $60 million a yr contract with ICE, the topic of a authorized dispute in New Jersey associated to ICE’s outsourcing of its follow of mass detention to personal jail teams like GEO.
“We weren’t protesting,” Baraka advised the outlet. “I got here down there to attend a press convention. The dispute is with GEO. It at all times has been with GEO. I don’t assume persons are seeing what’s occurring right here clearly sufficient. We’re shifting quick into authoritarianism.”
The mayor continued, “We are able to’t acquiesce to that. I feel this is a chance for states to turn out to be labs of democracy to attempt the whole lot that we now have not tried earlier than. We have to determine a method to construct a democracy outdoors these people and their push to dismember democracy on this nation.”
Baraka concluded, “The fact is we’ve been preventing for a very long time to, as Dr. King mentioned, to make America dwell up to what’s written on paper. That’s actually what that is about. And there are individuals who wish to renege on that promise as a result of it doesn’t profit them individually. There are numerous of us on this nation who disagree with that, who consider that everyone who resides right here, who comes right here, ought to have a chance to take part within the biggest concept within the historical past of the world.”
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