A federal magistrate judge on Wednesday blasted US Attorney Alina Habba for criminally charging Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and then dismissing his charges nearly a week later.
The Mayor of Newark was arrested for criminal trespass earlier this month after storming the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka arrested for criminal trespass at ICE detention facility / screen image
US Attorney Alina Habba on Monday evening announced her office dropped a misdemeanor trespass charge against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
The charge against Baraka was related to his riotous activity at the Delaney Hall ICE detention center earlier this month.
“After extensive consideration, we have agreed to dismiss Mayor Baraka’s misdemeanor charge or trespass,” Alina Habba said in a statement posted to X on Monday evening.
“In the spirit of public interest, I have invited the mayor to tour Delaney Hall. The government has nothing to hide at this facility, and I will personally accompany the mayor so he can see that firsthand,” Habba said.
Habba also announced her office charged Democrat Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for assaulting ICE agents.
Today my office has charged Congresswoman McIver with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/TV00uwRtKq
— US Attorney Habba (@USAttyHabba) May 19, 2025
Judge Andre Espinosa, who previously warned US Attorney Alina Habba against making public statements about Ras Baraka, held a virtual hearing on the matter on Wednesday afternoon.
During the hearing, Judge Espinosa blasted Alina Habba and said the arrest and swift decision to dismiss charges against Ras Baraka “suggests a worrisome misstep.”
The judge scolded prosecutors and said they must “operate with a higher standard…”
Politico reported:
The “hasty arrest” and swift dismissal of a trespassing charge against Mayor Ras Baraka “suggests a worrisome misstep” by interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba, a federal judge said Wednesday afternoon.
U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa granted what he called the “embarrassing retraction” of the misdemeanor charge following a May 9 incident at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark that unfolded in a tussle between federal authorities and three members of Congress and resulted in the arrest of the city’s Democratic mayor, who is also running for governor.
Espinosa said an arrest is a “severe” step, not part of an investigation, and he said prosecutors must not try to secure convictions at all cost, satisfy public clamor or advance political agendas.
“Your office must operate with a higher standard than that,” he said.
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