Incident details
- Date of incident
- May 30, 2026
- Location
- Newark, New Jersey
- Targets
- Wali Khan (Independent)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Demonstrators retreat from a line of police officers amid tear gas outside a federal detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 30, 2026. Independent journalist Wali Khan was shot at with crowd-control munitions while covering the protest.
Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was shot at with crowd-control munitions while covering protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 30, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention 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.
Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was documenting protests when three stun grenades were shot in his direction nearly simultaneously.
“One landed like a dozen feet in front of me, and then one closer and then at my feet,” he said
In an interview on “The Majority Report,” Khan said that New Jersey State Police officers responded to the May 30 protests with crowd-control munitions, despite the small number of demonstrators.
“The flash bangs went off right next to me, so part of my left ear’s hearing is a little bit off,” he said, adding, “I’ve had migraines for the last two days.”
Khan told the Tracker that state police, who were called in to take over the protest response, were the “most brutal” of the law enforcement agencies.
“I was struck by how militarized the response was from New Jersey state troopers,” he said, noting that he was also subjected to tear gas deployed by the officers.
The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
In a statement posted to X early May 31, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state and local law enforcement had responded to “aggressive actions” outside Delaney Hall. She also announced that a curfew would be in place around the facility until further notice. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
