Incident details
- Date of incident
- May 25, 2026
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
The immigration detention center in Los Angeles, California, where on May 25, 2026, a federal officer pepper-sprayed photographer Christopher Almaraz while he documented a protest.
Independent photographer Christopher Almaraz was doused with a chemical irritant by a federal officer while documenting a Memorial Day immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 25, 2026.
A small group of protesters had gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being held. Almaraz, who primarily publishes his work on social media and Substack, was there to document the demonstration. He carried two cameras and was marked as a member of the press on the front and back of his vest.
Almaraz told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that when Department of Homeland Security officers detained a demonstrator, Almaraz moved closer to photograph the arrest. As officers pushed another protester to the ground and began advancing, an officer aimed a pepper spray canister directly at Almaraz and drenched him.
Almaraz fled the area to wash out his eyes, which was captured in an Instagram video.
“My shirt was soaked in it,” he told the Tracker. “All the protesters and my colleagues were like, ‘He actually held that on you.’”
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS reminded members of the media to exercise caution as they cover protests and that covering these activities in the field comes with risks. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights,” the statement said.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
