Photojournalist pushed over barrier, breaks flash, at New Jersey protest

Freelance photojournalist Pierre Lavie was shoved by police over a concrete barrier, falling and breaking his camera flash, while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7, 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.

On June 7, Newark police wielding riot shields began pushing protesters and journalists out of the way near Delaney Hall, Lavie told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. The journalist, who was wearing a reflective vest marking himself as a member of the press and displaying visible credentials, continued photographing the confrontation.

“I try to be clearly identifiable as press, and they just don’t care,” Lavie said.

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

“We all collapsed on each other,” said Lavie, who was uninjured and kept photographing, though his camera flash was broken during the scuffle.

Lavie said he believed officers were indiscriminately pushing people out of the area rather than targeting journalists specifically.

“I feel like they were indiscriminate as to who they were corralling or pushing out of the zone that they didn’t want people in,” he said.

The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka released a statement that officers were dispatched to Delaney Hall after receiving reports that people were blocking access to the facility. Baraka also asserted that responsibility for security at the immigration detention facility rests with its private operator, The GEO Group.

“I am encouraged by the NPD investigation because it appeared that some of our officers were over aggressive and should be held accountable. It is imperative that all of our officers uphold the standards of professionalism and accountability required under the consent decree,” the mayor said. “Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark.”

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