Photojournalist pushed over barricade at New Jersey immigration protest

A freelance photojournalist was shoved by police over a concrete barrier while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 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 and city officers in the days that followed.

The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.

Freelance photojournalist Peter Lavie, who was also at the scene, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that on June 6, Newark police carrying riot shields began pushing protesters and journalists out of the way near Delaney Hall.

As officers continued clearing the area, they pushed Lavie and two other photojournalists, forcing them backward over a concrete barrier that had been used as part of the protest perimeter.

Lavie identified one of the other photojournalists as Ryan Murphy, who had been documenting the protests for photo agencies including Reuters and had been assaulted twice by federal officers while on the job in May.

Murphy did not respond to requests for comment, and the Tracker was unable to independently confirm that he was one of the photojournalists who was pushed.

The incident was captured on video by journalist L. Vural Elibol, chief videographer for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.

Lavie — who identified the third photojournalist as Tom Hudson — said they “all collapsed on each other.” He added that he believed officers were indiscriminately pushing people out of the area rather than targeting journalists specifically.

The Newark police did not respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka released a statement asserting that responsibility for security at the immigration detention facility rests with its private operator, The Geo Group, but that city police are required to uphold standards of professionalism and accountability.

“Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark,” the mayor said.

The statement did not address the use of force against members of the press.