Incident details
- Date of incident
- June 27, 2026
- Location
- Newark, New Jersey
- Targets
- Stephanie Keith (Freelance)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Federal law enforcement outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. Stephanie Keith was pepper-sprayed by a federal officer at a protest there later in the month.
Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was targeted with pepper spray by a federal officer while documenting a protest outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 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. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Federal officers have responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
Keith posted images from the protest on Instagram, two of which show an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer deploying a can of pepper spray directly at her camera. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 24, 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 and the public 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].
