Newark Mayor and New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Ras Baraka was arrested Friday outside the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center after trespassing during a protest against the facility’s reopening.

Baraka was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations officers after ignoring multiple warnings to leave the premises, according to Alina Habba, interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.

"He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody," Habba said in a statement on X. "NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW."

Video captured by a News 12 New Jersey reporter showed Baraka being led away in handcuffs.

The arrest followed several days of protests by Baraka.

A coalition of Democratic officials warns that the facility, which is operated by private prison contractor GEO Group, reopened without proper permits or local authorization. Baraka had pledged to protest daily until the center was shut down.

“We want them to follow our rules, follow our laws,” Baraka said earlier this week.

Congressional representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver joined Baraka at the site Friday to demand the facility's closure.

Coleman posted on X: "We’re at Delaney Hall, an ICE prison in Newark that opened without permission from the city & in violation of local ordinances."

Homeland Security said Baraka entered a restricted area without authorization and was arrested after refusing to leave.

"When you break the law, there’s no grandstanding that will help you," Habba told Fox News.

Baraka had previously accused the facility of blocking fire inspections and violating safety regulations. Newark fire inspectors had issued three code violations earlier this month, prompting Baraka to demand full fire, health, and safety reviews.

Witnesses claim tensions escalated when Baraka attempted to join the lawmakers inside the facility but was blocked.

Viri Martinez of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice said, "There was yelling and pushing. Then the officers swarmed Baraka… They put him in an unmarked car."

Homeland Security later claimed that the lawmakers and protesters stormed the facility gate. A DHS spokesperson said, "Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities."

Rep. Watson Coleman disputed that characterization. "Contrary to a press statement put out by DHS, we did not 'storm' the detention center," she wrote, asserting they were carrying out legal oversight duties.

Video obtained by the Associated Press shows a federal official telling Baraka he could not join the tour because "you are not a Congress member."

After returning to the public side of the gate, Baraka was again confronted by federal agents and arrested.

"They’re talking about coming back to arrest you,” a man in a suit told Baraka. “I’m not on their property," Baraka replied. "They can’t come out on the street and arrest me." Moments later, he was handcuffed and taken away.

Following Baraka's arrest, his campaign spokesperson Kabir Moss said, "We are actively monitoring and will provide more details as they become available."

Delaney Hall reopened May 1 under a $1 billion, 15-year contract between ICE and GEO Group, making it one of the agency’s largest detention agreements. GEO estimates the facility will generate $60 million annually.

DHS has maintained that the facility has met all legal requirements and passed necessary inspections.