A recent protest at an ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, has sparked a heated political response—culminating in comparisons to 9/11 by a senior Trump administration official.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, joined by multiple Democratic Members of Congress, visited the facility last week to protest its operations and conduct oversight. According to Baraka’s office, the goal was to examine conditions inside the center and raise concerns over immigration enforcement practices.
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The visit ended with the mayor being detained and escorted from the facility by federal law enforcement. Photos released by Baraka’s office show him being led away with his hands behind his back. He was released from custody later the same day.
The Trump administration has since responded forcefully. Dan Bishop, the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, publicly compared the incident to the 9/11 terrorist attacks—a comparison that drew criticism from across the political spectrum.
Whatever one’s views on immigration policy or the role of public officials at federal facilities, equating a protest and oversight visit to one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in American history stretches credulity.
There is no comparison between elected officials peacefully protesting at a detention center and the events of 9/11. One involved the deaths of thousands in coordinated terrorist attacks. The other involved local and federal officials disagreeing over access and oversight at a government facility.
The federal government has not released additional details about the legal basis for Baraka’s removal from the facility. The incident raises questions about the scope of authority federal agencies have to restrict access to public officials, especially when oversight is a central part of their responsibilities.
While the administration may defend its response on legal grounds, invoking 9/11 in this context is unacceptable, risks inflaming tensions, and diminishes the gravity of that day in American history. Oversight and protest are part of democratic governance. They are not acts of terrorism.
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