During an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Mayor Las Baraka clarified that his visit to the ice facility in his city, where he was arrested, wasn’t intended as a protest. However, he asserted, “If I was part of the protest, it is my right as a New Jersey citizen and as a citizen of the United States.”
Baraka remarked, “When immigrants arrived in this country, they were often treated poorly—like the Irish or Italians. People noticed those injustices. While courts might seem indifferent, many witnessed the problems immigrants faced.”
He emphasized, “I didn’t go there to protest. I was part of the press conference, and if I had participated in the protest, that would be my right as a citizen of New Jersey and the United States.”
