Trump official 'ordered New Jersey mayor's arrest' at immigration centre in new footage
In recent months, police officers and immigration enforcers have flooded into major US cities and made sweeping arrests of people they suspect of being undocumented migrants, often disregarding the legal process to do so.
This shocking authoritarianism has also seen multiple elected officials detained, with at least one appearing to have been put behind bars after a major appointee of President Trump gave the order.
Freshly released body cam footage has shown that the federal officer who detained New Jersey mayor Ras Baraka implied he might have been acting under instructions from the deputy attorney general. This comes as Donald Trump attempts to force a head-to-head meeting between Putin and Ukraine's President Zelensky.
The footage emerged as part of a legal submission by Rep. LaMonica McIver, who was also taken into custody alongside Baraka during an oversight visit at an immigration centre, where they had a run-in with immigration officers. While Baraka faced trespassing charges that were later dropped, McIver was accused of assaulting federal agents.
It appears she is pushing for the dismissal of her charges. Her legal team alleges that a Department of Homeland Security special agent, after concluding a phone call, informed fellow agents, "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 further instructed. The Mirror U.S. has not yet formally reviewed the footage.
Although it has been submitted as evidence, the video has not been made available to the general public.
Todd Blanche currently holds the position of deputy attorney general. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Mirror: "The American people can see with their own eyes a sitting member of Congress assaulting law enforcement," and she referenced a video of the altercation that DHS uploaded on X back in May.
The apparent suggestion of Blanche's involvement is the latest in a series of moves where Justice Department officials have seemingly wielded their power to target Democrats and adversaries of President Trump. Since Trump resumed office, his DOJ has initiated multiple investigations into figures who oppose him, including Jack Smith, James Comey, and others.
Moreover, it has been reported that federal law enforcement officers have apprehended New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and even placed California Sen. Alex Padilla in handcuffs.
Suspicions are escalating as Politico disclosed that several Democrats are pondering whether agents at the Newark facility were directed to arrest Baraka. Witness statements and additional video evidence from the day depict the mayor standing calmly behind a fence with a guard for a significant period.
Rep. Rob Menendez, also a Democrat, informed Politico that he saw an agent within the enclosed area on the phone receiving instructions to detain Baraka, who was outside the enclosure when the call occurred. Last week, McIver's lawyers submitted a description of the bodycam footage to the court, reinforcing this narrative.
"Even though he stepped out, I am going to put him in cuffs," the special agent is purported to have declared. Following this, the agent mentioned arresting the mayor "per the deputy attorney general."
Moments later, the mayor found himself in handcuffs, sparking off a brawl. 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."
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