Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is intensifying his efforts to close a recently reopened Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, asserting the center is operating illegally within city limits and endangering public safety.

Speaking in front of Delaney Hall on Tuesday, Baraka criticized the privately run detention site, claiming it has refused to allow local fire officials inside—despite a court order granting access for inspections. Flanked by supporters, the mayor said the city had already cited the facility with three fire code violations and promised to return each day to protest its operation.

“We want them to follow our rules, follow our laws,” Baraka said, as quoted by The New York Times.

Baraka is demanding a full review of the site’s safety conditions, referencing a prior inspection that uncovered serious fire and health code issues. According to the mayor, those deficiencies pose a threat to emergency responders, detainees, and staff alike.

Delaney Hall, which is managed by the GEO Group under a 15-year, $1 billion contract with ICE, can accommodate up to 1,000 individuals awaiting deportation proceedings. The city has filed a lawsuit seeking to force additional inspections and has accused ICE of withholding key information, including the number of detainees currently held in the facility. City officials also contend the facility is operating without a valid certificate of occupancy.

In response, GEO Group spokesperson Christopher Ferreira defended the company’s operations, insisting they are fully compliant with contractual obligations and safety standards. “All the contracted health and safety requirements” are being met, he said, and described the mayor’s actions as part of a “politicized campaign.”

Ferreira went further, accusing Baraka of obstructing federal enforcement actions. He claimed the mayor was trying 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 The Gothamist.

Baraka’s high-profile challenge to the detention facility comes as he seeks higher office. He is currently running for the Democratic nomination in New Jersey’s 2025 gubernatorial race, where polling places him third behind U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.