Freelance photojournalist targeted with pepper spray by federal officers

Freelance photojournalist Madison Swart 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.

Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.

Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.

The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.

Swart told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the protest and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers’ response were so chaotic that it was hard to recall everything that happened to her.

“So much pepper spray was deployed,” she said, noting that the irritant used appeared to be a stronger, law-enforcement-grade product. “It’s above pepper spray, but it isn’t tear gas.”

Swart said that day was her first experience being sprayed with a chemical irritant, as she consistently keeps her distance from skirmish lines and tries to make eye contact with officers, so they are aware that she is press and not a protester.

“And I did that in that moment, to kind of let them know of my presence and to just see that I wasn’t a protester, I’m separate,” she told the Tracker. “But there was a gaggle of press photographers and we all got sprayed in that same moment. It was totally unnecessary.

“I felt like it was targeted because it was aimed at my camera.”

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.

“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.”