By Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The mayor of Newark, New Jersey sued two U.S. law enforcement officials on Tuesday, alleging he was wrongly arrested and prosecuted as part of a politically motivated move by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The lawsuit from Democrat Ras Baraka, who is also running for New Jersey governor, alleges he was arrested for trespassing without cause and maliciously prosecuted following a tense confrontation last month at a privately run immigration detention center in Newark.
The encounter drew widespread attention at a time of growing clashes between the Trump administration and Democrats over Trump’s hardline approach to immigration.
The complaint names as defendants Alina Habba, the acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey who brought the case and is a former personal lawyer to Trump, and Ricky Patel, a Department of Homeland Security official in Newark, who allegedly ordered the arrest.
In a post on X following reports that Baraka planned to sue, Habba said Baraka should “join me in prioritizing violent crime and public safety.”
“Far better use of time for the great citizens of New Jersey,” she wrote.
Spokespeople for Habba’s office and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return requests for comment on Tuesday.
Prosecutors dropped the case against Baraka 10 days after his arrest. Habba said the decision was made “for the sake of moving forward” but offered no further explanation.
Her office then charged Democratic U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver with assaulting and resisting officers who were trying to arrest Baraka. McIver has not yet entered a plea but has denounced the charges as political intimidation.
Baraka was arrested on May 9 after U.S. authorities said he refused to leave the facility, known as Delaney Hall, where McIver and two other Democratic members of Congress from New Jersey were conducting an oversight visit.
Baraka’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey, alleges a guard invited Baraka onto the property and he agreed to leave after he was threatened with arrest.
Stephen Demanovich, one of the prosecutors assigned to the McIver case and the now-dismissed case against Baraka, is not a career member of the office, and was tapped by Habba in May to serve as her counsel. Shortly before joining her office, he moderated a panel hosted by conservative legal group the Federalist Society entitled “The Weaponization of DOJ?”
Baraka’s case is likely to face legal barriers given broad protections for U.S. officials acting in an official role. His complaint alleges Habba and Patel acted outside their formal responsibilities.
The lawsuit alleges violations of the U.S. Constitution and defamation. It seeks an unspecified sum in damages for emotional distress, reputational damage and other harms.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward, additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone and Hugh Lawson)
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