Newark Mayor Ras Baraka could become a frontrunner in the Democratic primary race for New Jersey governor following his arrest at a federal immigration detention facility, per NBC News.

Baraka is among six Democrats on the June 10 primary ballot vying to represent the party in New Jersey's governor race. The Newark mayor has been looking to win over progressive Democratic voters in the crowded primary, but has been outspent by his opponents.

However, Baraka's arrest last week at Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed ICE detention center that he's been a vocal critic of its opening, may have boosted his profile and made him a frontrunner for Democratic voters looking for a candidate willing to fight against Trump.

“We’re fighting to uphold the Constitution the United States,” Baraka said on a call with a coalition of progressive groups on Monday (May 12). “We’re fighting to uphold democracy that every single person deserves due process.”

LaVar Young, chair of the pro-Baraka super PAC One New Jersey United, said the mayor's arrest shows “there’s only been one candidate that’s really been putting action behind his words.”

“I think Friday was just really a demonstration of what he’s been doing over the last 30, 40 years of his career," Young said of Baraka. "And I hope voters are able to see there’s a difference between rhetoric and action."

Democratic primary candidates, including Baraka, Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, faced off in a debate on Monday. Baraka highlighted his efforts at the ICE detention center as a pushback against the Trump administration.

“That’s what people need now. They need leadership. They don’t need people to acquiesce, to hide in the middle, to run under this veil of ‘I’m working with the president of the United States,’” Baraka said. “The reality is, we need to protect families, we need to protect immigrants, we need to protect democracy.”

Baraka's path to a primary win involves consolidating the liberal base and leveraging his support in Newark, New Jersey's largest city. His arrest could help him garner more votes, according to a New Jersey Democratic operative.

“If he can move a few thousand voters with a moment like this, it’s meaningful,” the operative told NBC News.

New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson, who was among the members of New Jersey's congressional delegation attempting to conduct an oversight inspection of Delaney Hall with Baraka before his arrest, made it clear that the mayor's actions weren't just a political stunt.

“The mayor doesn’t do things just for performance. He does the things that he needs to do to protect the people,” Watson Coleman, who has endorsed Baraka in the primary, said in a statement.

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