Videographer pushed down by officer at New Jersey immigration protest

Independent videographer David Snow was shoved to the ground by a police officer while documenting 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.

Snow told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that before entering the protest area on June 7, officers with the Newark Police Division initially refused to allow him to bring in his equipment bag. He said officers requested to search its contents, which he refused, and eventually permitted the bag after he agreed not to put his gas mask inside it.

Once inside, Snow documented Newark police making arrests and using force via his YouTube channel, The Exposure Report. Snow, who was wearing a visible press credential, knelt with his camera to get a better angle. Then, an officer ran toward him, grabbed both his shoulders and shoved him to the ground.

“That was targeted at me as a member of the press so I wouldn’t capture what was happening there, because they were being extremely aggressive and violent,” Snow said. “I landed on my butt. I didn’t get hurt. I just got back up and continued to do my job.”

A week earlier, Snow was also knocked down by police.

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.