U.S. attorney drops charge against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka appears successful tribunal aft ICE apprehension

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka appears successful tribunal aft ICE arrest 02:07

The national trespassing complaint against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has been dismissed, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced. 

Baraka was arrested extracurricular Delaney Hall, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement installation successful Newark, connected May 9 during a sojourn with members of New Jersey's legislature delegation.

"After extended consideration, we person agreed to disregard Mayor Baraka's misdemeanor complaint of trespass for the involvement of moving forward," Habba said successful a statement posted to societal media Monday. 

Baraka, who is presently moving for governor, appeared successful court past week. At the time, prosecutors had indicated they would instrumentality the lawsuit to trial. 

Habba issued a 2nd connection charging U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver for "assaulting, impeding and interfering with instrumentality enforcement" during the Delaney Hall visit. 

"Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the attraction of ICE detainees astatine Delaney Hall successful my district. We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, arsenic members of Congress person done galore times before, and our sojourn should person been peaceful and short," McIver said successful a connection responding to the charges. "Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation erstwhile they chose to apprehension Mayor Baraka. The charges against maine are purely governmental they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight. This medication volition ne'er halt maine from moving for the radical successful our territory and lasting up for what is right. I americium thankful for the outpouring of enactment I person received and I look guardant to the information being laid retired intelligibly successful court." 

Baraka and McIver person criticized the ICE installation lodging migrants successful Newark. They and others person argued it is dangerous and illegal, and that the backstage institution that signed a declaration with ICE did not get permits and blocked inspections. The Department of Homeland Security denies those claims.

"I person invited the politician to circuit Delaney Hall. The authorities has thing to fell astatine this facility, and I volition personally travel the politician truthful helium tin spot that firsthand," Habba's connection continued. "The citizens of New Jersey merit unified enactment truthful we tin get to enactment to support our authorities safe. The dismissal against the politician is not the extremity of this matter."

This is simply a processing story. Please enactment with CBS News New York for updates. 

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• Ras Baraka
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