The mayor of New Jersey’s largest city, Ras Baraka, has taken legal action against the Trump administration for what he terms as “malicious prosecution.” This move comes after federal prosecutors dismissed a criminal charge against him, alleging trespassing at an immigrant detention facility.
Baraka’s attorneys have accused interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba of orchestrating the unjust arrest of the mayor. They claim that Habba not only approved but also participated in the arrest, portraying herself as a “political operative” who tarnished Baraka’s reputation through inflammatory remarks on social media and TV appearances.
Legal Allegations and Claims
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, asserts that Habba’s collaboration with DHS agents to apprehend Mayor Baraka was outside her prosecutorial jurisdiction. The legal action seeks unspecified compensatory damages for the distress, humiliation, and other alleged repercussions suffered by Baraka, in addition to punitive damages.
Baraka’s arrest at Delaney Hall, an immigrant detention facility operated by a private prison firm and newly inaugurated during the Trump administration, was followed by the subsequent dropping of charges, purportedly to facilitate progress, as mentioned by Habba.
Furthermore, Habba has leveled federal felony charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver, a New Jersey Democrat, for supposedly assaulting two federal agents during a visit to the same facility for oversight activities.
