Reporter slammed to the ground, arrested at New Jersey immigration protest

Independent reporter Chuck Modiano was thrown down by police and arrested while documenting a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, 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.

Modiano, who is also a co-host on radio station WPFW in Washington, D.C., told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that police — some dressed in riot gear, others mounted on horseback — moved to clear demonstrators outside Delaney Hall before the city’s curfew on May 31.

After police kettled demonstrators and journalists, preventing them from leaving, officers announced that credentialed members of the press could exit the kettle. Wearing a press vest, Modiano approached officers and identified himself as a journalist. But because he did not have his credentials with him, he was not allowed to leave.

“It seemed like it was very arbitrary,” Modiano said of the rules officers were using to determine who could leave. Moments later, after filming another person’s arrest, Modiano said officers took him into custody.

“They grabbed me from behind and slammed me,” he said. “It was a pretty violent arrest.”

Modiano said officers forced him to the ground and tightened zip-tie restraints around his wrists. The restraints remained on for roughly four hours, cutting off circulation to his hands and causing them to throb, he said.

“It was an increasing hurt, and it was an increasing concern about permanent damage,” Modiano said. “Each hour felt excruciatingly worse.”

More than a week later, he said he was still experiencing pain and reduced mobility in his hands, including difficulty making a fist. He said officers ignored his repeated requests to loosen the restraints.

“Police were very vengeful and petty, and I’ve never been in a situation where they were so open about it,” he said. “They were as open in their disdain as anyone.”

Modiano and at least two other journalists were taken to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, operated by the sheriff’s office, and were released the following day.

According to Modiano, New Jersey State Police made the arrest, while Newark police are listed as filing the charges. He was initially charged with rioting and resisting arrest. Prosecutors later reduced the rioting charge to failure to disperse and dropped the resisting arrest charge. His next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6.

Modiano also said his vehicle, which he believes was legally parked, was towed while he was in custody, costing him approximately $300 to retrieve.

The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information 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 or arrest of members of the press.