Overview

• Baraka’s lawsuit alleges interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and Homeland Security agent Ricky Patel orchestrated his May 9 arrest during an oversight visit to the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility
• The complaint seeks damages for false arrest, malicious prosecution and defamation after Habba dropped Baraka’s trespassing charge on May 19
• Magistrate Judge André Espinosa admonished Habba’s office for the “hasty arrest” and swift dismissal of charges, calling it a “worrisome misstep”
• Charges against Representative LaMonica McIver for allegedly assaulting officers during the same ICE facility incident remain pending ahead of a preliminary hearing
• The Justice Department has separately sued Newark and other New Jersey cities over sanctuary policies, intensifying the standoff between local officials and federal immigration enforcement