Photojournalist pushed, chased by police at New Jersey immigration protest

Freelance photojournalist Ian Peters was shoved by New Jersey state police wielding riot shields while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark on May 31, 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.

Peters, on assignment for NJ.com, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that on May 31, officers enforced a curfew that an official with the governor’s office had previously said didn’t apply to press.

After police surrounded demonstrators, Peters remained outside the police perimeter, with only a few protesters near him, and clearly displayed his press credentials. That’s when two officers carrying riot shields shoved him from behind.

Officers then screamed, “Move! Move! Move!”

After the encounter, Peters relocated farther from police lines to continue documenting events. About 10 minutes later, officers in riot gear advanced toward Peter and another photojournalist, who was also displaying credentials. The officers continued ordering them to leave and chased them to their cars.

“They were still coming after us, and so I felt like it didn’t matter that we were press,” Peters said. “I thought it was targeted in a certain way.”

Peters said he didn’t take off his protective flak jacket and barely had time to remove his camera equipment before feeling pressured to drive away. As he was leaving, officers continued yelling and cursing through his window, ordering him to leave the area.

“They were slamming the hoods of our cars even though we were exempt from the curfew and not breaking any laws,” he said.

The state police did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

In a statement posted to X on May 31, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police cleared the area outside Delaney Hall because a group of people refused to leave after the curfew order. She did not address the use of force against members of the press.