Newark NJ Mayor Baraka Sues Over False Arrest

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Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka filed a lawsuit against interim Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba and Homeland Security Investigations agent Ricky Patel, citing defamation by Habba and seeking damages for “false arrest and malicious prosecution.”

Baraka said, “I just want to say this is not about revenge or not about me going after individuals because I think they wronged me specifically. Ultimately, I think this is about them taking accountability for what has happened to me.”

On 9 May 2025, Baraka joined three members of Congress in an attempt to inspect the Delaney Hall detention facility, which Baraka said was opened without necessary permits and inspections. For a while he was allowed inside the gate to a parking lot for the facility. He was denied entry and stepped outside the gate onto public space, where protesters were also present.

About an hour after his arrival, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents dragged him through the gate into the fenced area again, handcuffed him and arrested him on a misdemeanor trespassing charge levied by Habba. He was held for hours and appeared in court before being released. On social media, Habba claimed Baraka “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings” which he says is not true.

Ten days after his arrest, Habba dismissed the charge against Baraka but charged Congressional Representative LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) with “assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement.”

Videos of the incident at Delaney Hall do not appear to support the charges against Baraka or McIver.

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