ICYMI: Newark Mayor Baraka Proves Standing Up for Immigrant Families Is a Winning Strategy
10 MARCH 2025
The Newark mayor joins local leaders nationwide in rejecting Trump’s anti-immigrant, anti-family agenda and politics of chaos and cruelty that’s threatening to erode core democratic values
Washington, D.C. – Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s rise in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race underscores a key lesson: leaders who take a strong, unapologetic stance against Trump’s mass deportation agenda can mobilize public support and challenge authoritarian overreach.
“I think that they’re playing into the national kind of sentiment, the Democratic sentiment that Trump has won and we need to placate him and move toward the middle,” Baraka said in an interview. “I think that’s wrong — a losing strategy. I think it’s a losing strategy in New Jersey in November, and it’s a losing strategy in the country during the midterms.”
Baraka has been vocal in his opposition, condemning recent ICE raids in his city–including one that saw a military veteran detained–as unconstitutional, rejecting the reopening of detention center Delaney Hall, and calling out Trump’s policies as political stunts designed to spread fear rather than improve public safety. His argument—that lawmakers cannot afford to move to the middle or remain silent in the face of these attacks—has distinguished him in a competitive primary and helped him gain momentum with engaged voters, reflecting broader polling that shows a majority of Americans favor legal pathways over mass deportations.
Last week, local elected officials across the country made the same case. Mayors and city leaders rejected Trump’s demand for a $350 billion mass deportation machine, exposing his policies as an attempt to destabilize communities while slashing resources for working families. Their approach—directly confronting the administration rather than avoiding the debate—demonstrates how a balanced stance on immigration, one that brings together border security with legal pathways for long-settled undocumented populations, can be both effective and politically resonant. While some shy away from the issue, these leaders are proving that standing up to Trump’s policies isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a winning strategy for families and democracy.
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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.
