Newly released body camera footage suggests that the federal officer who arrested New Jersey mayor Ras Baraka may have been acting on orders from one of President Trump’s Justice Department officials.
The fresh footage was included in a legal filing by Representative LaMonica McIver, who was also taken into custody when she and Baraka were visiting an ICE detention centre to oversee the conditions and ended up in a confrontation with immigration agents.
Baraka was arrested on suspicion of trespassing, but this criminal charge was later dropped, while McIver was accused of assaulting federal agents. It is believed that she is attempting to have the charges dismissed.
Her legal team alleges that a Department of Homeland Security special agent was on the phone, and shortly after ending the call, he turned to a group of agents and announced, “We are arresting the mayor right now, per the deputy attorney general of the United States.”
“Anyone that gets in our way, I need you guys to give me a perimeter so I can cuff him,” the agent added
Despite being submitted as evidence, the video has not been made public.
At present, Todd Blanche holds the position of deputy attorney general. In a statement to the US Mirror, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: “The American people can see with their own eyes a sitting member of Congress assaulting law enforcement,” and linked a video of the confrontation DHS posted on X back in May.
The latest suggestion of Blanche’s involvement is just one in a series of instances where Justice Department officials have seemingly used their power to target Democrats and those who oppose President Trump. Since his return to office, Trump’s DOJ has launched several cases against various anti-Trump figures, including Jack Smith, James Comey and many others.
In addition, federal law enforcement officials have detained New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and even handcuffed California Sen. Alex Padilla while making impromptu immigration arrests.
Politico has reported that several Democrats are questioning whether agents at the Newark facility were instructed to arrest Baraka. Witness accounts and other video footage from the day show the mayor standing peacefully behind a fence with a guard for the majority of an hour.
Rep. Rob Menendez, another Democrat, told Politico that he saw an agent inside the gated area on the phone with someone who instructed the agent to arrest Baraka, who was outside of the gated area at the time of the call. A description of the bodycam footage was submitted in court last week by McIver’s attorneys, supporting this account.
“Even though he stepped out, I am going to put him in cuffs,” the special agent allegedly said. The agent then made a comment about arresting the mayor “per the deputy attorney general.”
The mayor was swiftly handcuffed, kicking off a brawl with officers.
Magistrate Judge André M Espinosa described it as an “embarrassing retraction” that “suggests a failure to adequately investigate, to carefully gather facts and to thoughtfully consider the implications of your actions before wielding your immense power.”