Incident details
- Date of incident
- May 27, 2026
- Location
- Newark, New Jersey
- Targets
- Will Allen-DuPraw (Status Coup)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
A federal agent deploys pepper spray toward protesters and press outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. Photojournalist Will Allen-DuPraw was also targeted with chemical irritants that night.
Photojournalist and filmmaker Will Allen-DuPraw was targeted with pepper spray by federal officers while covering protests outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 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.
Allen-DuPraw and other journalists told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker the protest followed a consistent pattern. Periods of calm would last until law enforcement vehicles tried to leave the facility, and protesters would move to block the cars from leaving. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would respond by advancing into the crowd and pushing demonstrators back.
Allen-DuPraw told the Tracker he was standing in front of an ICE officer when the officer deployed a wide swath of pepper spray toward the photojournalist and those around him. Allen-DuPraw said he was clearly identifiable as press.
In a post on social media, a GIF of his photos shows the officer spraying in an arc around the photojournalist and into his camera. In at least one image, the federal officer appears to look directly into Allen-DuPraw’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].
