Newark, New Jersey A federal trespassing charge against Mayor Ras Baraka has been dropped in connection with an incident that occurred earlier this month at Delaney Hall, a privately run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in his city.
In a statement released Monday night, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba stated, “After substantial deliberation, we have decided to dismiss Mayor Baraka’s misdemeanor charge of trespass for the sake of moving forward.”
“I’ve asked the mayor to take a tour of Delaney Hall in the interest of the general public. I will personally go with the mayor to show him that the government has nothing to conceal at this facility,” she added.
Nonetheless, charges have been brought against Representative LaMonica McIver for allegedly “assaulting, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement.” The magistrate will decide when and how McIver must turn herself in, but Fox News has learned that she must do so as soon as possible.
“I am glad that the U.S. Attorney has agreed that this case should be dismissed,” he stated.
“I intend to discuss topics on which we can work together with the current U.S. Attorney, as I have had good relationships with previous U.S. Attorneys. Regarding Delaney Hall, I’ll keep pushing for the facility to make sure it complies with City of Newark rules and regulations and advocating for the humane treatment of inmates.”
“I understand that the U.S. Attorney has chosen to charge Congresswoman LaMonica McIver with assaulting law enforcement,” Baraka said. “Congresswoman McIver is a dear friend, a former student of mine, a Newark native, and the former president of the Newark Council. To be clear, I fully expect LaMonica to be vindicated, and I stand with her.”
Earlier this month, when the gates opened to let an ICE bus in, Baraka and three congressional lawmakers—McIver, Robert Menendez Jr., and Bonnie Watson Coleman—were outside the ICE facility with a group of protesters. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials then claimed that all four officials hurried past security and through the gates.
Earlier this month, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Kevin Corke of “Fox News Live” that “if it was a normal U.S. citizen, and they attempted to storm into a detention facility that’s housing dangerous criminals or any person at all, they would be arrested.” “Just because you are a member of Congress or just because you’re a public official, does not mean you are above the law.”
Given that Baraka is also a candidate in the Democratic primary for governor, his arrest set off a local political firestorm. He showed up for a status conference last Thursday, when it was anticipated that the class C misdemeanor charge would go to trial. Supporters of Baraka gathered outside the federal courtroom in Newark as a result of the court appearance, and Habba himself attended the conference.
