1 month ago
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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has pledged to shut down an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center that reopened on Tuesday, arguing that the facility lacks the proper permits to operate within the city.
Baraka appeared outside Delaney Hall alongside supporters, where he accused the facility of denying entry to fire inspectors despite a judge’s order allowing city officials to examine it. The mayor announced he would return daily to protest the facility following the issuance of three fire code violations.
“We want them to follow our rules, follow our laws,” said Baraka, according to The New York Times.
The mayor is demanding a comprehensive fire, safety, and health inspection, citing a previous inspection that found “violations that put first responders at risk, violations that put detainees and workers that are there at risk.”
The detention center is operated by the GEO Group under a $1 billion, 15-year contract awarded by ICE in February. Delaney Hall has the capacity to hold approximately 1,000 migrants facing deportation. The city of Newark is currently suing the facility to enforce further inspections and has accused ICE of failing to disclose how many detainees are being held there. Officials also allege that the facility does not have a valid certificate of occupancy.
GEO Group spokesman Christopher Ferreira said the company holds a valid certificate and is in compliance with “all the contracted health and safety requirements.” Ferreira dismissed Baraka’s actions as a “politicized campaign” and accused the mayor of attempting to “interfere with the federal government’s efforts to arrest, detain, and deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens in accordance with established federal law,” according to a report from The Gothamist.
Baraka is also a contender for the Democratic nomination in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race and is currently polling third behind US Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.
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