Photographer hit with baton by federal officer at immigration protest

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.

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.

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.

The photographer said they wore a press ID and shouted “Press” every time an officer approached.

At one point, an officer hit the photographer multiple times in the chest with a baton, yelling at them to move back.

“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.’”

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.”

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.”