White House hits back at Dem mayor suing US attorney after ICE arrest: ‘Desperate attempt’

The White House is pushing back against Newark Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka, who has hit interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba with a lawsuit this week after he was arrested and briefly charged with criminal trespassing last month outside an ICE facility.

Baraka, who is one of the leading Democratic candidates for New Jersey governor, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Habba, accusing her of “false arrest and malicious prosecution” in connection with his May 9 arrest and charges outside a federal immigration center.

He was one of several public officials, including Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver and Bonnie Watson Coleman, from the New Jersey congressional delegation, all of whom had massed outside the facility in protest. The U.S. attorney’s office said 13 days after it brought charges against Baraka that it was dismissing the case against him “for the sake of moving forward.” 

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey, accuses Habba of acting politically in Baraka’s May 9 arrest outside the Delaney Hall detention center, near Newark Liberty International Airport. Baraka was arrested during a protest outside the facility after being accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings from law enforcement officials to leave. He was held in custody for several hours before being released. 

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The civil lawsuit filed by Baraka’s attorneys seeks damages for what they described as his “false arrest and malicious prosecution,” as well as the allegedly defamatory remarks Habba made about his case, including on social media.

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.”

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, responded to Baraka’s move by calling it a “meritless lawsuit” and a “desperate attempt” to stay relevant. 

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“Much like Mr. Bakara’s last stunt – storming a federal detention facility in defense of criminal illegal aliens – this meritless lawsuit is just his latest desperate attempt to try and stay relevant among the far-left Democrat base,” said Jackson.

Habba, meanwhile, dismissed Baraka’s lawsuit and mocked it as “shocking.”

“My advice to the mayor – feel free to join me in prioritizing violent crime and public safety. Far better use of time for the great citizens of New Jersey,” Habba said in an X post on Monday night.

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Baraka’s team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.