Detention of Newark’s Mayor Demands a Strong Response — Starting with the Immigrant Trust Act

Dan Weiss
May 12
3 min read

By Dan Weiss, Councilman, West Windsor Township

What happened to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka should alarm every New Jerseyan.

Last week the Mayor of Newark — the largest city in our state — was unjustly and baselessly detained by federal immigration agents. No warrant. No legal justification. No explanation. Just a mayor of a major American city stopped, held, and questioned by ICE while exercising his first amendment rights to speech in his capacity as Mayor.

The physically aggressive treatment of multiple members of Congress — including my own representative --Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (CD12) — by federal law enforcement during peaceful and lawful advocacy efforts is unconscionable. These incidents, taken together, paint a troubling picture: unchecked federal agencies operating outside the law, with impunity, in our own communities.

Let’s call this what it is: a gross abuse of federal authority. And it is far from an isolated incident.

Mayor Baraka's detention is especially chilling because it sends a message that no local official — no matter how senior or respected — is safe from harassment. If the Mayor of Newark can be pulled aside and questioned without cause, what protections exist for immigrant residents, for students, or for workers simply trying to live their lives?

This isn’t just about Newark. It’s about every mayor and council member in New Jersey, and the communities we serve. These actions create a chilling effect that undermines public trust and endangers the very people we are sworn to protect. And unless we act — decisively and publicly — we risk allowing it to happen again.

That’s why we need a strong, coordinated response from all levels of New Jersey government, and we need it now. A key first step is for our state leaders to finally pass the long-stalled Immigrant Trust Act.

This legislation would:

Prohibit local and state law enforcement from cooperating with ICE without a judicial warrant
Prevent information-sharing and detainer requests that violate residents’ constitutional rights
Protect New Jersey taxpayers from footing the bill for unlawful federal enforcement
Ensure that trust between communities and law enforcement is preserved, not undermined by fear

The Immigrant Trust Act has been introduced and debated — but it continues to languish in committee, without a vote. That delay is not just legislative inertia; it is a failure of leadership in the face of injustice. Every day this bill sits idle is a day ICE agents may continue to operate with zero accountability in our state.

We must be clear: federal agencies are not above the law. Our state has the right — and the duty — to ensure that its residents, regardless of status, are treated with fairness and dignity. We do not deputize our local police as immigration officers. We do not turn a blind eye when mayors are detained and Congressmembers are manhandled. And we do not stay silent when our communities are threatened.

To my colleagues in municipal government across New Jersey: this is not just Newark’s fight. This is our fight. An attack on one of our mayors is an attack on all of us — and on the values of representative government.

To our state leaders in Trenton — Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and the members of the Legislature — the time for statements is over. We need action. We need a floor vote. And we need to pass the Immigrant Trust Act now.

As a local elected official, as a public servant, and as someone who believes deeply in the principles of justice and due process, I urge you: let New Jersey lead. Let us stand up to unlawful overreach, and stand strong for the people who make our state vibrant, diverse, and free.

Let’s make it clear: ICE cannot operate without accountability in New Jersey. Not in Newark. Not in West Windsor. Not anywhere.

Use this link to send a message to your representatives: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/nj-pass-the-immigrant-trust-act