FILE - Alina Habba speaks after being sworn in as interim US Attorney General for New Jersey, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on March 28, 2025. (Pool File via AP)
Baraka was briefly charged with criminal trespassing last month outside the Delaney Hall federal immigration detention center, a 1,000-bed facility near Newark, New Jersey.
The charges against Baraka were quickly dropped.
In the lawsuit, Baraka's lawyers accused Habba of acting as "a political operative, outside of any function intimately related to the judicial process, and in her individual personal capacity."
It also accuses her of green-lighting the arrest despite "clear evidence that Mayor Baraka had not committed the petty offense of ‘defiant trespass.’" Also named as a defendent in the case is Ricky Patel, a DHS Investigations agent in charge in Newark.
The news comes as Baraka, a prominent progressive figure, continues his ongoing gubernatorial campaign ahead of the June 10 Democratic primary.
This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/newark-mayor-sues-interim-us-attorney-false-arrest-malicious-prosecution