A federal judge ripped into the Justice Department after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was hit with trespassing charges at an immigration detention center, only for the DOJ to reverse course days later and drop the charges.
“The hasty arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, followed swiftly by the dismissal of these trespassing charges a mere 13 days later, suggests a worrying misstep by your office,” Magistrate Judge Andre Espinosa told federal prosecutors during a Wednesday hearing.
Baraka was arrested earlier this month while attempting to visit a new ICE detention facility for immigrants and slapped with misdemeanor trespassing charges.
“The reality is this: I didn’t do anything wrong,” Baraka told his supporters after being released from custody.
The DOJ apparently agreed, and acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba said she would drop the charges against Baraka.
Espinosa granted Habba’s request to dismiss the charges on Wednesday, but called the DOJ’s actions “embarrassing.”
“The apparent rush in this case, culminating today in the embarrassing retraction of charges, suggests a failure to adequately investigate,” Espinosa said. “Your office must operate with a higher standard than that.”
While charges against Baraka have been dropped, Habba has charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) with assaulting two ICE agents during the May 9 clash outside the detention center. Federal prosecutors argue that McIver attempted to stop Baraka’s arrest by pushing and grabbing Homeland Security and ICE agents. McIver has denied the charges.
“I went to an ICE facility in my district to conduct oversight because that is my job and my lawful right as a member of Congress,” McIver wrote in a fundraising email.
The charges against McIver carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison, prosecutors said.
