• Newark Mayor Ras Baraka filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, claiming political motivation behind his arrest.
• The lawsuit addresses issues of false arrest, defamation, and malicious prosecution regarding Baraka’s detainment at an ICE center.
• Baraka was arrested after attending a tour with Congress members at the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility.
• His lawsuit follows claims of politically motivated actions by Habba, a Trump appointee.
• Baraka is running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey governor during this contentious legal battle.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has initiated legal action against Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, after his arrest last month during a protest outside a federal immigration detention facility. In his suit, Baraka claims that his arrest was politically motivated, arguing that it amounted to false arrest, malicious prosecution, and defamation, facilitated by Habba's political ambitions, particularly her stated goal to "turn New Jersey red" and her previous role as a personal attorney for former President Trump. The lawsuit was filed just days before the Democratic gubernatorial primary, intensifying the political stakes involved, according to NYTimes and HuffPost.

Baraka's suit alleges that he was arrested without just cause while he was visiting the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility on May 9, alongside three Democratic members of Congress, for a lawful oversight visit. According to his complaint, a facility guard had invited him inside before a Homeland Security official ordered his removal, further asserting that Baraka complied before being detained on the grounds of alleged trespassing. The subsequent charges against Baraka were dropped merely ten days later, which sparked a public rebuke from a federal judge regarding the rushed and questionable nature of the arrest process, as highlighted by Reuters and LA Times.

The lawsuit claims that Habba’s actions represented a "reckless disregard of facts" and pursued objectives more in line with political posturing than justice. Baraka and his legal team contend that his arrest and the accompanying media portrayal were part of a broader pattern of intimidation against Democratic officials opposing Trump’s immigration policies. The added claims of defamation arise from statements made publicly by Habba, who labeled Baraka as having “committed trespass” without sufficient basis, according to The Hill and Al Jazeera.

This lawsuit comes during a critical election period for Baraka, who is one of several candidates competing for the gubernatorial nomination. The arrest incident has transformed into a focal point in his campaign, intertwining concerns over immigration enforcement and local political dynamics. Baraka’s claims underscore the tensions surrounding local cooperation with federal immigration policies and raise questions about the intersection of law enforcement and political motivations, as observed by Salon and Newsweek.