Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is now suing New Jersey’s acting Attorney General Alina Habba and a Department of Homeland Security special agent, claiming he was falsely arrested outside an ICE detention facility in Newark. Baraka, a Democrat, made the announcement during an interview Tuesday on MSNBC’s The Beat, accusing federal authorities of “authoritarian” behavior.
“What they’ve done is egregious and it’s authoritarian,” Baraka said. “It needs to be pushed back against.”
Baraka claimed he was treated like a criminal for what he says was a minor infraction that didn’t even warrant an arrest.
“I was cuffed, fingerprinted, took pictures twice — once there and once in court — for a Class C misdemeanor,” Baraka explained. “You send summons to people for that. You don’t lock them up and take their fingerprints.”
The Newark mayor argued that federal agents acted prematurely, publicly accusing him of criminal behavior before he was even processed.
“Putting out information before I was even processed that I was a criminal… I didn’t break any law.”
According to Baraka, he had permission to be on the property of the ICE facility, which is reportedly owned by GEO Group, a private company contracted by the government to manage detention centers.
“I was allowed on the property by GEO Group, which is a private organization that owns that property… They don’t even have a lease on that property. There’s no government workers in that building whatsoever,” Baraka claimed.
Baraka further insisted that video evidence proves he complied when asked to leave.
“I was asked to leave the property like he said, and guess what? I left. There’s a video that shows that I left the property.”
He also pushed back on the legal justification for the arrest, arguing that trespass is a state issue, not a federal crime.
“Trespass is a state offense. It’s not a federal offense. These guys need to find out the law before they begin running their mouth about what is right and what is wrong.”
The situation raises more questions than answers. Why was the mayor of Newark arrested over what he says was a Class C misdemeanor? And how does a local official end up in handcuffs for what sounds like a property dispute?
Critics are likely to see Baraka’s case as yet another example of progressive politicians clashing with federal law enforcement, especially around immigration enforcement and ICE facilities.
Baraka, a frequent critic of immigration enforcement efforts, has a history of supporting sanctuary city policies and challenging ICE’s role in New Jersey. This latest legal battle could become a political flashpoint — particularly if it highlights the ongoing tension between local Democrat leadership and federal immigration authorities.
