Incident details
- Date of incident
- May 28, 2026
- Location
- Newark, New Jersey
- Targets
- Wali Khan (Independent)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
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.
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.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall, a federal 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 an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer deliberately pepper-sprayed him while he was clearly identifiable as a member of the press.
In an image he captured 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.
“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.”
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.”
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
