1 month ago
49
(NewsNation) — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was successful national tribunal Thursday for a presumption league aft helium was charged with trespassing astatine an migration detention halfway past week.
After a little 15-minute procedural hearing, Baraka addressed a assemblage of supporters extracurricular and called for the complaint to beryllium dismissed.
"It is silly, it's petty, it's unlawful — get escaped of it!" Baraka said.
A proceedings day wasn’t acceptable connected Thursday, but some parties agreed mid- to precocious July could work.
The trespassing complaint comes aft Baraka, a Democrat moving for politician of New Jersey, was arrested at a protestation astatine the Delaney Hall migration detention center. Witnesses said helium attempted to join 3 members of Congress trying to participate the facility. He has denied the trespassing charge.
Baraka has been an outspoken professional of the detention halfway and told NewsNation helium is acrophobic astir who is being detained and whether they person received owed process.
Baraka has besides criticized the GEO Group, which has contracted with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to negociate the detention center.
He said the radical has not applied for a certificate of occupancy oregon allowed national inspectors inside.
"We don’t person an contented with the Department of Homeland Security. Our contented is with the GEO Group, who is simply a backstage situation relation who, successful fact, occupies that property," Baraka told NewsNation connected Wednesday.
In a video of the altercation shared with the Associated Press, a national authoritative successful a overgarment with the Homeland Security Investigations logo tin beryllium heard telling Baraka helium could not participate the installation due to the fact that “you are not a Congress member.”
Baraka past near the unafraid area, rejoining protesters connected the nationalist broadside of the gate. Video footage showed him speaking done the gross to a antheral successful a suit, who said, “They’re talking astir coming backmost to apprehension you.”
Minutes later, respective ICE officers, immoderate wearing look coverings, surrounded Baraka and others connected the nationalist side. Baraka was dragged backmost done the gross successful handcuffs.
Baraka told NewsNation helium had been invited onto the spot and committed nary crime.
"The defender of GEO allowed maine connected the property. He asked maine to travel in, arsenic a substance of fact,” Baraka said. "I stayed successful determination for implicit an hour, waiting close determination astatine the gross until Homeland Security arrived and began to people and harass me. They instructed maine to leave. I did. Eventually, erstwhile I left, they came connected the different broadside of the gross anyway. After a telephone call, they received and arrested me."
The trespassing complaint against Baraka carries a maximum condemnation of 30 days successful prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
