Incident details
- Date of incident
- May 27, 2026
- Location
- Newark, New Jersey
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer sprays a chemical irritant toward protesters outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. An ICE officer targeted a freelance photojournalist with the spray as well.
A freelance photojournalist, who asked not to be identified because of their immigration status, was targeted with chemical irritants by federal officers while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 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.
The photojournalist told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they were on assignment for a wire agency when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer targeted them with pepper spray, aiming directly at their camera’s lens.
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].
