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{
"title": "State police pull photographer from news car during New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/state-police-pull-photographer-from-news-car-during-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-03T13:13:37.531000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T13:23:39.625255Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T13:23:39.502730Z",
"date": "2026-05-29",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"r3qi2\">A photojournalist for WNBC TV was pulled out of a news vehicle by New Jersey State Police while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"2g4up\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"3tpd6\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"9jrba\">In a video <a href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-jersey/delaney-hall-protest-news-crew-tear-gas/6507083/\">report</a> from the scene, WNBC reporter Checkey Beckford said that at around 10 p.m., state police in riot gear started moving in to push the crowd back, eventually deploying a chemical irritant.</p><p data-block-key=\"7i9ba\">Beckford and two photojournalists — both of whom were wearing press credentials — were sitting in their news vehicle, with the WNBC placard in the window.</p><p data-block-key=\"4dan5\">“We thought we were in a safe area. We moved away from the main protest area and thought we would be fine. And then when state police started moving in, in riot gear, we thought we would stay in the vehicle because we didn’t want to deal with tear gas,” Beckford reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"9nqed\">Beckford said that troopers “pulled one of the photojournalists in my car out and ordered myself and another photojournalist to get out of the car. We did that, started running, we were in the middle of tear gas.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5a2d4\">She added, “We had masks on, but they didn’t really do much to help us, and so we ran through tear gas and continued running until we were able to get out of it.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-video block-video\">\n\n<figure class=\"inline-media full-width\">\n <div style=\"padding-bottom: 56.49999999999999%;\" class=\"responsive-object\">\n <iframe width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/NEBtWpnLxt4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"WNBC crew removed from news car as law enforcement tear gases Delaney Hall protesters | NBC New York\"></iframe>\n</div>\n\n \n <figcaption class=\"inline-media__caption\">\n \n \n <p>NBC New York/YouTube</p>\n \n </figcaption>\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"r3qi2\">The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"3pm15\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X early May 30</a>, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"txcgc\">WNBC’s Checkey Beckford reports from an immigration protest in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026. That night, state police pulled a photojournalist from her team out of a news car and forced the three-person crew to run through tear gas.</p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
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"chemical irritant",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"Assault"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist pinned by police during New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pinned-by-police-during-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-25T20:32:21.309278Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-25T20:53:01.638867Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-25T20:53:01.523422Z",
"date": "2026-05-29",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mwk5e\">Freelance photojournalist Tom Hudson said officers pushed him against a utility pole with a metal barrier while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"eje4p\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"9bjsv\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"87stq\">Hudson did not respond to requests for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. However, on the podcast “<a href=\"https://athousandnaturalshocks.substack.com/p/the-ice-surge-at-delaney-hall-in?has_completed_unsubscribed_unlock=true\">A Thousand Natural Shocks,</a>” he described his experience during the May 29 protest.</p><p data-block-key=\"2h7dh\">According to Hudson, the gathering outside Delaney Hall remained largely peaceful until New Jersey State Police arrived. Officers erected metal fencing and barricades, corralling demonstrators into designated areas they described as “First Amendment zones.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bsdh0\">Rather than disperse, some protesters sat in the street. After nightfall, police escalated their response, deploying riot gear, mounted units, flash-bang and concussion grenades, and tear gas.</p><p data-block-key=\"aua1o\">“You had mounted cavalry running horses through a crowd of protesters,” Hudson said. “You had state troopers with riot shields just beating people. And it was just indiscriminate.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9khkp\">Hudson, who said he was wearing protective gear that identified him as press, was backing away as a police line advanced. Hudson stepped behind one of the metal fences. Police then seized the fencing and shoved it forward, pinning him against a telephone pole.</p><p data-block-key=\"3g53s\">“They were just crushing me with the fences until I was able to get free,” Hudson said.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-instagram block-instagram\"><div class=\"instagram-embed\">\n\t<div>\n <blockquote\n\tclass=\"instagram-media\"\n\tdata-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY99Q7zFjEp/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY99Q7zFjEp\">View post on Instagram</a>\n</blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://www.instagram.com/embed.js\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mwk5e\">While covering subsequent days of the protest, Hudson was also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-pepper-balls-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">struck with projectiles</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-photojournalist-pushed-over-concrete-barrier-at-new-jersey-protest/\">pushed over a concrete barrier.</a> </p><p data-block-key=\"3864o\">The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"931p1\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X early May 30</a>, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-05-30T044934Z_594258786_RC2E.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3lhdv\">New Jersey State Police in a cloud of tear gas at a protest outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026. Photojournalist Tom Hudson was pushed by police with a metal barrier while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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"protest"
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"Assault"
],
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{
"title": "Photojournalist struck with riot shields by New Jersey state police",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-riot-shields-by-new-jersey-state-police/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-24T18:31:14.457379Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-24T18:31:14.457379Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-24T18:31:14.343790Z",
"date": "2026-05-29",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"utwjr\">Photojournalist and filmmaker Will Allen-DuPraw was shoved with riot shields and subjected to crowd-control munitions while covering protests outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"19cib\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"62a5g\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"cm0jp\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"6lk7r\">Allen-DuPraw told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was on assignment for Status Coup on May 29, the day that New Jersey State Patrol officers first became involved.</p><p data-block-key=\"5m5qf\">“Riot police were moving forward in their line, and I think a protester tripped or fell, ending up behind the police and was getting arrested,” he said. “I was trying to photograph that, and the police line just kind of kept advancing and eventually made contact with me.”</p><p data-block-key=\"79g6o\">In <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZh_R1-uqXo/\">footage of the incident</a> Allen-DuPraw posted to Instagram, three officers with riot shields are seen forming a line while multiple others behind them detain an individual on the ground, then drag that person further behind the police line.</p><p data-block-key=\"5m15f\">Suddenly, the three officers rush forward, each seeming to strike Allen-DuPraw with their shields.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-instagram block-instagram\"><div class=\"instagram-embed\">\n\t<div>\n <blockquote\n\tclass=\"instagram-media\"\n\tdata-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZh_R1-uqXo/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZh_R1-uqXo\">View post on Instagram</a>\n</blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://www.instagram.com/embed.js\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"utwjr\">“The line of riot police encountered me and treated me like any other obstacle,” Allen-DuPraw told the Tracker. He added that he didn’t experience any bruising from the incident.</p><p data-block-key=\"cp2fh\">Allen-DuPraw was also exposed to multiple crowd-control munitions, including tear gas and stun grenades, while covering the protests and police response that night.</p><p data-block-key=\"1osh\">The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ohe7\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X early May 30</a>, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3mt7f\">New Jersey State Police officers in riot gear stand guard as protesters gather outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026. Photojournalist Will Allen-DuPraw was repeatedly shoved with riot shields that night.</p>",
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"categories": [
"Assault"
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},
{
"title": "Videojournalist targeted with tear gas, stun grenades at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/videojournalist-targeted-with-tear-gas-stun-grenades-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-30T13:34:24.841251Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"xqkh6\">Status Coup videojournalist Jon Farina and his colleague were targeted with crowd-control munitions by New Jersey State Police while documenting protests outside a federal detention center in Newark on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"dfdeb\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"3tef0\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"7slfs\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"fgjpu\">Farina told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was working May 29 alongside Status Coup reporter and CEO <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-targeted-with-tear-gas-stun-grenades-at-new-jersey-protest\">Jordan Chariton</a>, covering the first day that state police managed the protest response.</p><p data-block-key=\"3hh58\">After state troopers pushed their line forward, Farina said things calmed down significantly for several minutes.</p><p data-block-key=\"bikj8\">“Jordan’s just talking, the protesters are not doing anything — they’re just standing around — and the state police are standing behind their shields,” he told the Tracker. “Then I tell Jordan, ‘Hey, let’s go across on the other side of the street, I want to interview somebody.’</p><p data-block-key=\"cq72h\">“We’re walking, and as soon as we get to the middle of the street, that’s when they shoot the flash bangs and tear gas, or whatever, directly at our feet.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7vq44\">Farina said Chariton immediately started running, but the reporter hurt his back and ultimately had to crawl to the side of the road to get to safety.</p><p data-block-key=\"f44lh\">“After they shot those flash bangs and grenades, they didn’t push the line or anything. They didn’t move. They just shot them at my feet, and that was it,” Farina told the Tracker. “It was very intentional: I know when I’m being targeted.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-bluesky block-bluesky\"><div class=\"bluesky-embed-container\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at://did:plc:i5s5ryxbc5upvuqkjxqujdlm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mn2jux4emc2l\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreidtg4d4nswzlyo25gikcbmt5na4ng32xmt42cvnsfya5ry5o2iuu4\"><p lang=\"en\">🚨 POLICE DIRECTLY TARGET STATUS COUP 🚨\n\nOutside Delaney Hall ICE prison on Day 8 of the hunger/labor strike, police throw a tear gas canister directly at Jon Farina's feet.\n\n“This is a war zone!” Jon says as chaos erupts around him and \[email protected] \n\nWATCH ⬇️</p>— <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:i5s5ryxbc5upvuqkjxqujdlm?ref_src=embed\">Status Coup News (@statuscoupnews.bsky.social)</a> <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:i5s5ryxbc5upvuqkjxqujdlm/post/3mn2jux4emc2l?ref_src=embed\">2026-05-30T07:32:14.397Z</a></blockquote><script async src=\"https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"xqkh6\">The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"cq5m1\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X early May 30</a>, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. She did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"wy3s8\">Status Coup photojournalist Jon Farina reporting in real-time as New Jersey State Police targeted him and his colleague Jordan Chariton with crowd-control munitions amid protests outside a federal detention facility in Newark on May 29, 2026.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photojournalist hit by crowd-control munitions at immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-by-crowd-control-munitions-at-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-17T21:01:08.310342Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-17T21:01:08.310342Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-17T21:01:08.193609Z",
"date": "2026-05-29",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"dhgp6\">Independent photojournalist Josh Pacheco was shoved and targeted with chemical irritant spray and crowd-control munitions by law enforcement while covering protests outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"1f77j\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"2h63m\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"c1lrt\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"77kbf\">Pacheco told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they were covering protests outside the facility May 29, the day that saw the first involvement of New Jersey State Patrol officers.</p><p data-block-key=\"eojmt\">“The whole point of sending in the police was to minimize aggression and violence,” they said. “And it didn’t minimize anything, it just changed faces.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1u098\">The photojournalist said that they were repeatedly shoved and targeted with pepper spray, which became embedded in their hair. “Anytime that my hair brushed against my face, I was coughing.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9il0v\">As state troopers launched gas canisters and fired 40 mm projectiles toward the crowd, Pacheco said they decided to move back from the active front line, along with several other journalists. Once the group made it across from the entrance to Delaney Hall, they found themselves targeted again: this time by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.</p><p data-block-key=\"6mnjb\">“ICE officers were firing pepper balls and rubber bullets at us from the entrance further back,” Pacheco said. “There were three or four of us, and I was like, ‘OK, done with this. Take it back now, y’all.’ And that’s when we’d get fired at again.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4lh2d\">The photojournalist said the group was forced back and forth by the different law enforcement agencies multiple times.</p><p data-block-key=\"be1ml\">“Clearly they don’t want us documenting what they’re doing,” Pacheco said, “and at the same time they don’t care how violent they’re going to be, even though we’re going to get it on camera.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eiiu9\">The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"2go4v\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X</a> early May 30, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"94d5i\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"86u0v\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"iu913\">New Jersey State Police officers, at rear with riot shields, spray irritants at protesters and press gathered outside a detention center in Newark on May 29, 2026. Photojournalist Josh Pacheco was sprayed and shot at with crowd-control munitions.</p>",
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{
"title": "Reporter knocked down by police, fired at with flash bang at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-knocked-down-by-police-fired-at-with-flash-bang-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-11T18:30:16.646015Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-11T18:30:16.646015Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"46akn\">Independent journalist Nick Valencia was shoved to the ground by a police officer and targeted with a crowd-control munition while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"enaor\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"8al9\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"3904h\">Valencia, <a href=\"https://www.nickvalencianews.com/about\">a former CNN correspondent</a>, was wearing a jacket marking himself as a member of the press while covering the May 29 protest. After authorities issued dispersal orders, Valencia recorded interactions between law enforcement and demonstrators. </p><p data-block-key=\"5dch3\">He said he repeatedly asked officers where members of the press could position themselves to continue documenting the protest but received no clear guidance. One commanding officer told him that everyone — including journalists — was subject to the dispersal orders. </p><p data-block-key=\"8o0ga\">“They were not acknowledging me when I said I was press,” Valencia later told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. </p><p data-block-key=\"3e3nn\">In a video he <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/1512186563706376\">posted on Facebook</a>, Valencia, who was wearing a gas mask, violently chokes after chemical irritants were sprayed into the air. He can also be clearly heard shouting, “I’m press! I’m press!” as officers with shields push through the crowd. He tells one officer, “I’m independent media. I’m allowed to be here.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7odn1\">As state police moved to clear the area, Valencia remained out of the way, on a public sidewalk. He described on video as officers pushed demonstrators and mounted police advanced into the crowd. </p><p data-block-key=\"fq0n8\">At one point, a flash-bang device was fired directly toward Valencia and exploded nearby. “I don’t know how I wasn’t hit,” he told the Tracker. Minutes later, he was shoved to the ground by a state police officer in riot gear while he was documenting an arrest. </p><p data-block-key=\"3jvqk\">“I do believe I was deliberately targeted,” Valencia said. “There’s no way they could have mistaken me for anyone else other than a member of the press.” </p><p data-block-key=\"n209\">The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"ehcen\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X early May 30</a>, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Valencia_1.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"o0ece\">Journalist Nick Valencia reporting outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center on May 28, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey. At a protest the next day, he was shoved by police and targeted with a flash-bang grenade.</p>",
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"shot / shot at"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist injured by crowd-control munition at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-injured-by-crowd-control-munition-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-02T18:01:44.694034Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-02T18:01:44.694034Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"dusx8\">Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was shoved by state police and targeted with crowd-control munitions, one of which burned his hand, while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"4a7c2\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"20u3h\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"efr7i\">Delgado told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that after dark on May 29, it became clear that New Jersey State Police had taken the lead in responding to the protest. Officers began pushing back demonstrators, as well as Delgado and other media, deploying tear gas and patrolling on horseback.</p><p data-block-key=\"1hk9u\">“Things escalated pretty fast,” he said. “I could tell they were not happy we were there, and they were just trying to make it difficult for the press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2mkg0\">At one point, Delgado and a colleague were standing on the sidelines when an officer threw a flash-bang device at them. It exploded between them, he said. As they were pulling back, another officer made eye contact with Delgado and then shot a smoke grenade at his left hand.</p><p data-block-key=\"85pe\">“That was, without a doubt, intentional,” Delgado said.</p><p data-block-key=\"52cb7\">Delgado drove himself to the emergency room, where he was treated for minor burns on three fingers and more serious second-degree burns on two others. Delgado said he’s still working, but the blisters from the burns on his pointer and middle finger make it harder.</p><p data-block-key=\"9lhmf\">In the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-05-26&date_upper=2026-05-28&targeted_journalists=David+%22Dee%22+Delgado\">days leading up to the May 29 protest</a>, Delgado was also pepper-sprayed and shoved by ICE officers.</p><p data-block-key=\"4hrvn\">The state police did not return a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"bdbc7\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X that night</a>, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"344gj\">A state police officer fires a pepper ball during an immigration protest in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026. Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was struck with a crowd-control munition while documenting the protest, injuring his hand.</p>",
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"categories": [
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{
"title": "Photographer requires stitches after baton strike at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-requires-stitches-after-baton-strike-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-03T16:19:41.425803Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T16:19:41.425803Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T16:19:41.317758Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"eovj1\">Photojournalist Ryan Murphy required stitches after a federal officer hit his hand with a baton, slicing open his finger, while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"br3t7\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"ilhh\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"d8csb\">Murphy told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was photographing clashes between ICE officers and protesters when he turned away to capture an image of a demonstrator being pepper-sprayed in the face.</p><p data-block-key=\"6oc9a\">“Out of nowhere, I was just hit with a baton in my left hand,” Murphy said. “I can say I was clearly identified as press, and I’m pretty sure that he saw that and knew that.” </p><p data-block-key=\"636et\">Murphy, who was on assignment for Reuters, said the baton struck him on the hand holding his camera flash, sending the equipment roughly 20 feet across the street. Although the flash sustained only cosmetic damage, Murphy realized his hand had taken the brunt of the blow. Blood rushed down his arm, and his middle finger suffered a deep cut. Colleagues provided Murphy with first aid before he drove himself to the hospital, where he received several stitches. </p><p data-block-key=\"ennpf\">Earlier in the day, Murphy said an ICE agent kicked his flash while it was on the ground. He also recalled being struck on the back of his elbow, though he was unsure what caused the impact, and said an officer pointed a stun gun at him. </p><p data-block-key=\"e8m\">The injury has made it difficult for Murphy to continue working. </p><p data-block-key=\"a8234\">“My hand is not very useful at the moment,” he said. The <a href=\"/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-baton-doused-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/\">day before</a>, he was also hit with a baton and pepper-sprayed. </p><p data-block-key=\"a0quf\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"2l3k9\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"olcek\">Federal officers push back protesters at a protest outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photojournalist Ryan Murphy’s hand was struck with a baton while covering the demonstration. </p>",
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"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
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"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Ryan Murphy (Reuters)"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist struck with baton, lens destroyed at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-baton-lens-destroyed-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T12:58:09.103544Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T12:58:09.103544Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T12:58:08.970890Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mclsd\">Mostafa Bassim, a photojournalist for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, was struck with a baton by a federal officer, damaging his camera lens, while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"egp7p\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"8qp6a\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"ash0p\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"e9jtd\">Bassim told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he arrived at the detention facility shortly before nightfall. He said that even before he was able to start documenting the scene, federal officers noticed his camera and began shining high-powered lights directly at him.</p><p data-block-key=\"fq071\">“The second they see you with a camera they just start doing that to you,” Bassim said.</p><p data-block-key=\"2drp7\">The protests, he said, had a consistent pattern: a period of calm until vehicles tried to exit the facility. Protesters would attempt to block the cars from leaving and to see whether any detainees were being moved; Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would advance to push back the demonstrators and make arrests.</p><p data-block-key=\"bqrsk\">“Then it’s calm again for an hour or so and then clashes again,” he told the Tracker. But that night, he added, officers were particularly aggressive.</p><p data-block-key=\"4v4ss\">“From the first time they started clashing with people — and they pepper-sprayed a lot of people — they would specifically pepper-spray the camera or the vent, if you’re wearing a gas mask,” Bassim said.</p><p data-block-key=\"a0cl5\">During the second clash, officers continued to spray chemical irritants at the crowd and strike people with batons. As things calmed, Bassim said, the ICE officers near him began to move back.</p><p data-block-key=\"6d7e6\">“I was looking at the other side to see if there’s still something going on on the other side of the line,” Bassim told the Tracker. “And then one of the agents just took a step toward me. He took one swing and it was at the camera. It hit the lens and it was cut in half.”</p><p data-block-key=\"99h3g\">The photojournalist said he stood in shock for several seconds, having automatically held up his press credentials.</p><p data-block-key=\"2n4la\">“I have this automatic response when I see them trying to attack us or talk to us: I just hold my press badge to make it clear that I’m press,” Bassim said. “So I did that for a second and then I was like, ‘He can see it, you know? Like, he clearly just took one swing at the camera, he meant to do that.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"2gdh1\">Bassim told the Tracker he asked the officer what he was doing, to which the officer simply responded with an order to move back and a gesture threatening to hit him again.</p><p data-block-key=\"birf\">The damaged lens was a 24mm prime lens, which Bassim estimates will cost $1,500 to replace.</p><p data-block-key=\"7v2os\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"aqkq0\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"gkb0t\">Mostafa Bassim, a photojournalist for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, photographed his destroyed lens after a federal officer struck him with a baton while he was covering protests outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p>",
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{
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"Department of Homeland Security",
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"protest"
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist struck with baton, flash damaged by federal officer",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-baton-flash-damaged-by-federal-officer/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-11T14:40:28.459917Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-11T14:40:28.459917Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-11T14:40:28.353613Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"0ziy1\">A freelance photojournalist, who asked not to be identified because of their immigration status, was sprayed with chemical irritants and hit with a baton by federal officers, damaging their camera flash, while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"acr8m\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"acoar\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"6h68r\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"fkm6h\">The photojournalist told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they were on assignment for a wire agency covering protests outside the facility that day. The photographer noted that they were sprayed with a chemical irritant, but could not say whether they had been deliberately targeted.</p><p data-block-key=\"btsao\">While they were standing alongside fellow photographers Mostafa Bassim and Ryan Murphy, they said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers charged them.</p><p data-block-key=\"bnno6\">“All three of us were hit in the same rush,” the photojournalist said. “An agent came and aimed at our cameras. He hit the top of my camera, and smashed and broke my flash transmitter with his baton.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2v820\">The photojournalist told the Tracker he believes the same officer <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-requires-stitches-after-baton-strike-at-new-jersey-protest/\">struck Murphy’s hand</a>, sending his flash flying and causing a deep gash in his middle finger, while a second <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?search=mostafa%20bassim\">sliced Bassim’s lens in half</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"4mqei\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"22vaj\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"s1wpk\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers form a line in front of protesters outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. An officer struck a photojournalist’s camera with a baton that day, damaging their flash.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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],
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},
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"tags": [
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"Department of Homeland Security",
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],
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"categories": [
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],
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],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist rammed by federal officer at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-rammed-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-09T14:58:28.049478Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-09T14:58:28.049478Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-09T14:58:27.917140Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1dmfe\">Freelance photojournalist Madison Swart was shoved to the ground by a federal officer while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"i7t4\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"dquk7\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"82iuq\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"dp9qq\">Swart and other journalists told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker the protests followed a consistent pattern, with a period of calm until law enforcement vehicles tried to exit the facility, when protesters would attempt to block them from leaving and to see whether any detainees were being moved. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would then advance to push back the demonstrators and make arrests, before calm would resume.</p><p data-block-key=\"9d8tr\">“So it was a lot of waiting and then, all of a sudden, they got the order, so they all whipped out their batons — the dramatic kind where you flick it and it extends long,” she said, referring to expandable batons. “That’s when you know that they’re going to move forward.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7ei0t\">Swart said she was standing to the side, far from the protesters, and had been in roughly the same position for nearly an hour, while clearly identifiable as a member of the press, when an officer singled her out.</p><p data-block-key=\"t9lr\">“There was just one agent who got his baton and then full-force rammed into me, and I fell to the floor,” she said. “I’ve never had that happen before. I’ve never fallen in the field.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f9iec\">She told the Tracker she believes it was deliberate.</p><p data-block-key=\"civap\">“I don’t know if it was because I was using flash or because he knew who I was,” she told the Tracker. “They knew my presence was there, I made it pretty obvious.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4grm9\">She said that she stayed on the ground for a second in shock, nervous that the camera sitting on her hip may have broken.</p><p data-block-key=\"3u8qf\">“Then another agent came over to me, grabbed me and brought me up, and asked if I was OK,” Swart continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"4kfmg\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"beklo\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"as1u6\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stand off against protesters outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. An officer shoved freelance photojournalist Madison Swart to the ground that day.</p>",
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"protest"
],
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"categories": [
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],
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],
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{
"title": "Photographer jostled by officer at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-jostled-by-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:47:13.369495Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:47:13.369495Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T17:47:13.235770Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hhi8z\">Photojournalist Ben Ackman was pushed by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. </p><p data-block-key=\"fe02n\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"1r7a5\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"e4ba7\">Ackman told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as ICE tried to clear the path for law enforcement vehicles to leave the facility, he was pushed out of the way. He was also pinned up against a car as he photographed protesters. </p><p data-block-key=\"9qpuf\">“It seemed to me that it was just because I was in the way,” said Ackman, who was wearing press credentials at the time. “It didn’t seem like anyone was targeting me because I had a camera.” </p><p data-block-key=\"70dld\">A couple of <a href=\"/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">days earlier</a>, Ackman was shoved by an ICE officer chasing a protester and hit with pepper spray in his eyes. </p><p data-block-key=\"dmkb7\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"d1ehk\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"04qd3\">Federal agents at an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photojournalist Ben Ackman was shoved by an officer while covering the demonstration. </p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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"tags": [
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"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"Assault"
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},
{
"title": "Reporter pushed aside by federal officers at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-pushed-aside-by-federal-officers-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-16T20:43:12.420209Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-16T20:43:12.420209Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-16T20:43:12.297136Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mu14d\">Independent reporter Yaakov Strasberg was shoved out of the way by federal officers while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"6os46\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"cl2i4\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"ar0bm\">While covering the protest on May 28, Strasberg said his interactions with law enforcement were generally uneventful. However, he told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that an officer pushed him while police were moving through a crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"36iac\">Strasberg, who primarily posts videos to YouTube and X, said he was standing among demonstrators at the time, rather than off to the side, and speculated that may have contributed to the encounter. </p><p data-block-key=\"6a73b\">“Still, I had my press badge on, so it’s not hard to identify me,” Strasberg said. </p><p data-block-key=\"f6962\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"8igv8\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ad7mq\">Federal officers during an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Independent reporter Yaakov Strasberg was shoved by an officer while documenting the demonstration. </p>",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"protest"
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"Assault"
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{
"title": "Journalist pepper-sprayed by federal officer at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-pepper-sprayed-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-26T17:42:27.966564Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-26T17:42:27.966564Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-26T17:42:27.849581Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"6rgvk\">Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was targeted with pepper spray by a federal officer while covering protests outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"8592v\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall, a federal detention facility, <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"btmc5\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"c1lng\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"6k21m\">Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer deliberately pepper-sprayed him while he was clearly identifiable as a member of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"2epj4\">In an <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY7Yp9XFaHL/?img_index=2\">image he captured</a> during the incident, the ICE officer deploys pepper spray over the heads of other officers as they push back against protesters, remnants of the spray lingering in the air. Khan said the officers often aimed for journalists’ cameras.</p><p data-block-key=\"dqpoa\">“They very obviously target journalists who are in front and taking pictures,” Khan said. “They push us back and beat us. They pepper-spray us. They don’t care.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-instagram block-instagram\"><div class=\"instagram-embed\">\n\t<div>\n <blockquote\n\tclass=\"instagram-media\"\n\tdata-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY7Yp9XFaHL/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY7Yp9XFaHL\">View post on Instagram</a>\n</blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://www.instagram.com/embed.js\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"6rgvk\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"7c6rc\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"xg8i6\">A federal officer deploys pepper spray at demonstrators outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Independent journalist Wali Khan was targeted with the chemical irritant, aimed at his camera, while covering protests that night.</p>",
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"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
"Assault"
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{
"title": "Photographer hit with baton by federal officer at immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-hit-with-baton-by-federal-officer-at-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-12T16:29:08.047000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-30T19:58:01.068853Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-30T19:22:51.958972Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"53kis\">An independent photographer was struck in the chest with a baton by a federal officer while documenting protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"38d31\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"flc9e\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"8pe7o\">The photographer, who asked to remain anonymous due to their immigration status, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they were documenting confrontations between protesters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with the officers pushing people back using batons and pepper spray, and protesters continuing to push forward.</p><p data-block-key=\"ahb2m\">The photographer said they wore a press ID and shouted “Press” every time an officer approached.</p><p data-block-key=\"77ui2\">At one point, an officer hit the photographer multiple times in the chest with a baton, yelling at them to move back.</p><p data-block-key=\"cu15e\">“He banged me in the chest, really hard, two or three times, and I was totally winded, and it was very painful,” the photographer said. “I didn’t really feel it as much until later, and then the next day I was like, ‘Wow, this is brutal.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"bscs5\">The photographer added that an ICE officer also doused them with pepper spray that he fired indiscriminately. “I had goggles on and a mask, but that stuff goes everywhere.”</p><p data-block-key=\"94ble\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"1c0gl\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"j47eo\">A federal officer sprays a protester with a chemical irritant outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. An independent photographer was hit with a baton while documenting the protest.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photographer pushed, hit with pepper spray at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-pushed-hit-with-pepper-spray-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-02T17:19:02.355000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T21:12:33.631431Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T21:12:33.500842Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"yq16x\">Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was shoved by federal officers and pepper-sprayed while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. </p><p data-block-key=\"54iqq\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"1ddsm\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"1vmq3\">Delgado told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he believed ICE was targeting journalists outside Delaney Hall on May 28. </p><p data-block-key=\"f95ga\">“They were talking amongst themselves, and they would point out photographers and journalists,” Delgado said. At one point, an officer recognized Delgado and remarked that he followed him on Instagram. “It felt like it was more of a threat than anything, just ‘we know who you are’ type of situation.” </p><p data-block-key=\"g6o6\">Officers swung batons, broke his colleagues’ camera gear, and pushed him and other members of the media. While Delgado was photographing a confrontation between ICE officers and protesters trying to block law enforcement vehicles from leaving the facility, he said an officer pepper-sprayed him.</p><p data-block-key=\"1l4i9\">“He made eye contact with me and sprayed me,” said Delgado, who was on assignment for Reuters and wearing press credentials. </p><p data-block-key=\"69qf0\">Delgado said the spray irritated his exposed skin, but he was more prepared than on May 26, when he was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-shoved-pepper-sprayed-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">also pepper-sprayed</a>. The next day, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-injured-by-crowd-control-munition-at-new-jersey-protest/\">on May 29</a>, Delgado was injured by a crowd-control munition fired by a state patrol officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"12e9m\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"69mb6\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"48glp\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"yge5e\">An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent sprays chemical irritant during an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photographer David “Dee” Delgado was pepper-sprayed while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
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],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist knocked to ground at protest; gear damaged",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-knocked-to-ground-at-protest-gear-damaged/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-23T18:04:59.916789Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-23T18:04:59.916789Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-23T18:04:59.795679Z",
"date": "2026-05-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1jgbf\">EPA Images photojournalist Olga Fedorova was repeatedly shoved to the ground and threatened with batons by federal officers while covering protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. One of her lens filters and her gas mask were damaged in the process.</p><p data-block-key=\"9kbkv\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"1g3gk\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"17h7\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"e3shu\">Fedorova told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she had been covering the demonstrations outside the detention facility for several days, and that federal officers were utilizing chemical irritants and what she described as “full-body contact.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5dt0c\">“I was just continuously pepper-sprayed all the time,” she said, adding that she was keeping herself apart from protesters. “Every time I tried to get close to the protesters, agents would threaten me with batons, and I was actually told, ‘Get back, or I’ll hit you.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"8o4pe\">Throughout the day and into the night, Fedorova said, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would push protesters back, with some veering off and pushing members of the press as well.</p><p data-block-key=\"fd0pt\">“I weigh 110 pounds, so every time they tackled me like a linebacker, I would be flying back,” she told the Tracker. “I was falling to the ground more times than I can imagine. And one of those times, I guess my camera hit the ground.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-aligned_image block-aligned_image\"><figure class=\"inline-media right\">\n\t\n\n\n\n <img src=\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Jun_3_2026_1_59_11.width-828.jpg\" width=\"720\" height=\"1280\" alt=\"COURTESY OLGA FEDOROVA\">\n\n\n\t\n\t<figcaption class=\"inline-media__caption\">\n\t\t<p data-block-key=\"wni4p\">EPA Images photojournalist Olga Fedorova documented the shattering of her lens filter after she was repeatedly knocked to the ground while covering protests outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<span\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"media-attribution\"\n\t\t\t> — COURTESY OLGA FEDOROVA\n\t\t\t</span>\n\t\t\n\t</figcaption>\n\t\n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1jgbf\">Fedorova said the lens filter on her camera shattered, but she can’t be certain it wasn’t broken when officers were swinging their batons.</p><p data-block-key=\"clh4p\">“I didn’t realize that my filter had shattered. It was only after I realized that there were all these artifacts in my photos that came from there being broken glass right in front of the lens element,” she continued. “If I didn’t have a filter on that lens, obviously it would have been destroyed.”</p><p data-block-key=\"e4km7\">Fedorova added that because she didn’t realize the filter had broken, she placed her camera into her bag and later opened it to find it covered with broken glass.</p><p data-block-key=\"55mbv\">The photojournalist’s gas mask was also damaged during her coverage that day, and she said that with the filter broken off, it is now operable only as a face shield.</p><p data-block-key=\"6lct9\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"crblt\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-05-28T055746Z_832996611_RC2Z.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"obhev\">Federal officers push back protesters outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. EPA Images photojournalist Olga Fedorova was repeatedly threatened with batons and knocked to the ground, damaging her equipment.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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{
"quantity": 1,
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{
"quantity": 1,
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"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
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"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
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"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
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"Olga Fedorova (EPA Images [Germany])"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist pepper-sprayed at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-24T17:18:59.114391Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-24T17:18:59.114391Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-24T17:18:48.277982Z",
"date": "2026-05-27",
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"longitude": -74.17237,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"kn2eu\">Photojournalist and filmmaker Will Allen-DuPraw was targeted with pepper spray by federal officers while covering protests outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"farum\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"6qmq7\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"3g9nk\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"6gr9o\">Allen-DuPraw and other journalists told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker the protest followed a consistent pattern. Periods of calm would last until law enforcement vehicles tried to leave the facility, and protesters would move to block the cars from leaving. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would respond by advancing into the crowd and pushing demonstrators back.</p><p data-block-key=\"c9kaf\">Allen-DuPraw told the Tracker he was standing in front of an ICE officer when the officer deployed a wide swath of pepper spray toward the photojournalist and those around him. Allen-DuPraw said he was clearly identifiable as press.</p><p data-block-key=\"6791q\">In a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZTVsyxv9ZT/\">post on social media</a>, a GIF of his photos shows the officer spraying in an arc around the photojournalist and into his camera. In at least one image, the federal officer appears to look directly into Allen-DuPraw’s lens.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-instagram block-instagram\"><div class=\"instagram-embed\">\n\t<div>\n <blockquote\n\tclass=\"instagram-media\"\n\tdata-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZTVsyxv9ZT/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZTVsyxv9ZT\">View post on Instagram</a>\n</blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://www.instagram.com/embed.js\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"kn2eu\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"apojo\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-05-28T063430Z_729476733_RC23.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"rkwwf\">A federal agent deploys pepper spray toward protesters and press outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. Photojournalist Will Allen-DuPraw was also targeted with chemical irritants that night.</p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Will Allen-DuPraw (Status Coup)"
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist trampled, shoulder injured at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-trampled-shoulder-injured-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-24T19:47:56.322000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-24T19:57:22.975590Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-24T19:57:22.831832Z",
"date": "2026-05-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"p9q9b\">Freelance photojournalist Edna Leshowitz fell to the ground and was trampled, injuring her shoulder, while covering a protest outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"ek1ts\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"ank47\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"7gbkm\">Leshowitz and other journalists told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker the protest followed a consistent pattern. Periods of calm would last until law enforcement vehicles tried to leave the facility, and protesters would move to block the cars from leaving. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would respond by advancing into the crowd and pushing demonstrators back.</p><p data-block-key=\"7acp6\">“I’ve never seen it that violent,” said Leshowitz, who was wearing press credentials. “They see all of us as the enemy.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b2s7a\">At one point, ICE officers suddenly surged toward the crowd, raising their batons as though they were preparing to strike. Protesters and journalists scrambled backward in panic. As she photographed the scene, Leshowitz lost her footing and fell.</p><p data-block-key=\"63bmu\">As she lay on the ground, she could hear the sound of boots around her. Three people retreating with the crowd stepped on her before someone pulled her to safety.</p><p data-block-key=\"9kuqi\">Leshowitz said she suffered scrapes to her elbow and knee. She also suffered a partially torn rotator cuff when she tried to break her fall with her left arm. Doctors told her she will need physical therapy and may require surgery.</p><p data-block-key=\"skdl\">When working, Leshowitz now relies more heavily on her right arm and feels pain that worsens by the end of the day.</p><p data-block-key=\"1e36b\">“I need to raise both arms above my head a lot for certain shots,” she said. “It’s tough to have to work around it and be left with a long-term injury.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b53l1\">At another protest outside Delaney Hall days later, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-in-head-with-flash-bang-at-new-jersey-protest/\">a flash-bang grenade</a> fired by state police landed on her head.</p><p data-block-key=\"82ehs\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"6ccaa\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/EdnaLeshowitz_DelaneyHallInjuries.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"h8qdg\">Federal agents at a protest outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. Photojournalist Edna Leshowitz fell backward and trampled while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"tags": [
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Edna Leshowitz (Freelance)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Photojournalist hit with baton, doused with irritant at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-baton-doused-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-03T16:15:41.031797Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T16:15:41.031797Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T16:15:40.882133Z",
"date": "2026-05-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"wxqgd\">Photojournalist Ryan Murphy was struck in the leg with a baton and pepper-sprayed by federal officers while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"fafbg\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"d1cia\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"514k\">Murphy told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was walking through the protest when an ICE officer hit the back of his leg with a baton. </p><p data-block-key=\"cci3m\">“He full-on targeted me and hit me full on with his baton, and I looked at him and said, ‘I’m press,’” said Murphy, who added that the officer apologized. Murphy, who was on assignment for Reuters, was wearing press credentials and carrying his cameras at the time. “He didn’t seem to care, he was just throwing his baton everywhere, being super aggressive.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1g0vu\">Murphy said he witnessed an officer strike a protester in the face with a baton. He was also pepper-sprayed — in situations that were both targeted at him and other media or during periods when he was caught in the cross fire. </p><p data-block-key=\"2rd12\">“It seemed pretty indiscriminate that they were just kind of blanketing people with pepper spray, just pointing in a general direction and just letting it rip,” said Murphy, who felt the sting of the irritant until the next morning. “My entire shirt was stained orange.” </p><p data-block-key=\"3f3i4\">The next day, his hand was struck with a baton, requiring stitches. </p><p data-block-key=\"ei772\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"e5u3g\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-05-28T060855Z_579127650_RC23.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"z5s0c\">Federal officers hold batons outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. Photojournalist Ryan Murphy was struck with a baton and pepper-sprayed while covering the demonstration.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
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"Ryan Murphy (Reuters)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist pushed by ICE officer at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-by-ice-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-01T20:20:18.637000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T20:26:41.869648Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T20:26:41.728999Z",
"date": "2026-05-27",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"78g3y\">Photojournalist Cristina Panagi was shoved by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"7c6hl\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.</p><p data-block-key=\"c220\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> the allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"b9dsl\">Panagi told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as the area outside Delaney Hall became increasingly crowded, officers began pushing members of the press. An ICE officer then shoved her, even though she was clearly identifiable as a journalist by her media credentials and markings on her backpack.</p><p data-block-key=\"cffas\">“It was clear he was just trying to block us from being able to move,” she said, referring to her efforts to freely document the protest. “The aggression was really not anything I’ve ever seen before.”</p><p data-block-key=\"28cg6\">Officers also fired pepper spray into the crowd, and Panagi said the chemical irritant seeped beneath her protective goggles, causing her forehead to burn. At a protest <a href=\"/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-by-ice-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">the day before</a>, Panagi was also pepper-sprayed by a federal officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"7nsdk\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"coc5f\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6qfth\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"m9hnp\">An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shoves photojournalist Cristina Panagi while she covers an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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"protest"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist, camera targeted with pepper spray by federal officer",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-camera-targeted-with-pepper-spray-by-federal-officer/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-11T14:23:17.856430Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-11T14:23:17.856430Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-11T14:23:17.735577Z",
"date": "2026-05-27",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"rpihc\">A freelance photojournalist, who asked not to be identified because of their immigration status, was targeted with chemical irritants by federal officers while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"ns67\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"9oag8\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"5dbav\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"7tbbm\">The photojournalist told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they were on assignment for a wire agency when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer targeted them with pepper spray, aiming directly at their camera’s lens.</p><p data-block-key=\"74h2u\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"fl1p5\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"nlo19\">An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer sprays a chemical irritant toward protesters outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. An ICE officer targeted a freelance photojournalist with the spray as well.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Anonymous photojournalist 10 (Freelance)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Agency photojournalist targeted with pepper spray by federal officers",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/agency-photojournalist-targeted-with-pepper-spray-by-federal-officers/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-10T13:21:09.933019Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-10T13:21:09.933019Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-10T13:21:09.833769Z",
"date": "2026-05-26",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"q3a2v\">EPA Images photojournalist Olga Fedorova was targeted with chemical irritants by federal officers while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"12o0s\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"1d1k6\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"acipv\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"69jmt\">Fedorova told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she was standing near independent photojournalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-for-turkish-news-agency-targeted-with-pepper-sprayed/\">Mostafa Bassim</a> and other members of the press when they were all doused with a chemical irritant.</p><p data-block-key=\"ebpuv\">“That was the most quintessential, undeniable instance of targeting someone,” she said, noting that officers purposefully aimed at the journalists’ cameras and into their ear canals.</p><p data-block-key=\"514mj\">“The agent was waiting to do this,” Fedorova continued. “Pepper spray is supposed to be used as self-defense, not to torture us.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c0aro\">Fedorova said that their experience that day was far from an isolated incident.</p><p data-block-key=\"8clao\">“Every day, I think, every single member of the press was doused in pepper spray, like completely, completely covered in pepper spray,” she added.</p><p data-block-key=\"6hk67\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"3sd0a\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"5gaoc\">An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer pepper-sprays protesters outside a private immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. EPA Images photojournalist Olga Fedorova was also targeted with chemical irritant spray.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
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],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist pepper-sprayed by ICE at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-by-ice-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-01T20:37:35.642000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T20:25:25.162919Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T20:25:24.887007Z",
"date": "2026-05-26",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4ntai\">Photojournalist Cristina Panagi was sprayed with chemical irritant by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"9j383\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"fllrq\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.</p><p data-block-key=\"h3jf\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"488el\">Panagi told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that ICE agents fired pepper spray indiscriminately into the entire crowd outside Delaney Hall, which included members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"a2b58\">“We all got hit continuously over the course of the night, to the point where it smelled like hot sauce,” Panagi said.</p><p data-block-key=\"bbkvc\">Throughout the night, Panagi recalled, officers pointed pepper spray directly at her and other reporters who were clustered together and a fair distance away from protesters.</p><p data-block-key=\"a3ulp\">At one point, law enforcement chased protesters across the street to detain them. As reporters followed to photograph the arrests, officers aimed and fired pepper spray directly at the journalists, including Panagi.</p><p data-block-key=\"csk3v\">“That’s where it became pretty targeted,” she said. “They’re going to detain people, they’re chasing down protesters, and then they’re pointing and pepper-spraying press to prevent us from following and documenting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"48e3s\">Panagi, who was wearing media credentials and a backpack marking her as press, said the orange spray covered her arms, got into her mouth and caused her sinuses to burn.</p><p data-block-key=\"dqi8v\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"6h97f\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"987kg\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"r44qa\">An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, in red at center, pepper-sprays photojournalist Cristina Panagi while she covers an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p>",
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"tags": [
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"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
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],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Cristina Panagi (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist shoved by federal officer at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:36:02.780000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:48:37.541990Z",
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"city": "Newark",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"l2g2u\">Photojournalist Ben Ackman was pushed by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"a9vo3\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"d1b04\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"dd3go\">Ackman, on assignment for the New Jersey Monitor, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that an officer pushed him aside twice while chasing a protester. Ackman said he did not believe he was targeted because he was a journalist, but was simply in the way as ICE pursued an arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"esvf6\">“They shoved me, and then they ran behind me,” said Ackman, who was holding a camera and wearing press credentials.</p><p data-block-key=\"36r2u\">Ackman said that he was also affected that day by pepper spray, which got in his eyes. He had to step away from documenting the protest for about a half hour while he washed it out. A <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-jostled-by-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">couple of days later</a>, he was pushed again by an officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"9rrj9\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"8bhg6\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"mqob1\">Photojournalist Ben Ackman is pushed by an ICE officer while covering an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
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"categories": [
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}
]
