[{"title":"Journalist struck in leg with baton at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-in-leg-with-baton-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-26T17:29:55.171980Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-26T17:29:55.171980Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-26T17:29:55.024187Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was struck in the leg with a baton by a federal officer while covering protests outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall federal detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Federal officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.
Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were wielding their batons at protesters to drive them back.
“I got hit in the leg — in the back of my knee — when they were swinging erratically,” he said.
Khan told the Tracker that while he doesn’t believe he was targeted at that moment, federal officers also deliberately pepper-sprayed and threatened him with a Taser.
“They were fucking out of control that day,” he said.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
","introduction":"","teaser":"","teaser_image":"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/PFT_header_images.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png","primary_video":null,"image_caption":"","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"no","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Wali Khan (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist, other press targeted with chemical irritant at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-other-press-targeted-with-chemical-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-08T21:29:55.070000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-24T20:49:42.778147Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-24T20:49:42.495128Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Photojournalist Neil Constantine was targeted with chemical irritants by federal officers while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall 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 officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did statepolice in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Constantine told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was documenting that day for NurPhoto Agency alongside freelance photojournalist Madison Swart and other press when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers sprayed the gaggle of journalists with chemical irritants.
The officers were using a more potent form of chemical irritant, Swart said, describing it as a stronger, law-enforcement-grade product above pepper spray but not fully tear gas.
“There was a gaggle of press photographers and we all got sprayed in that same moment. It was totally unnecessary,” she told the Tracker. She added that the officers seemed to be deliberately aiming at their cameras.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers pepper-spray protesters outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. A gaggle of photojournalists, including Neil Constantine for NurPhoto Agency, were also targeted with the irritant.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Neil Constantine (NurPhoto Agency [Italy])"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photographer for Turkish news agency targeted with pepper spray","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-for-turkish-news-agency-targeted-with-pepper-spray/","first_published_at":"2026-06-04T16:10:53.357000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-04T21:04:58.613419Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-04T21:04:58.493662Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Mostafa Bassim, a photojournalist for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, was targeted with chemical irritants by federal officers while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall 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 officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did statepolice in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Bassim and other journalists told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker the protests followed a consistent pattern, with a period of calm until law enforcement vehicles tried to exit the facility, when protesters would attempt to block them from leaving and to see whether any detainees were being moved. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would then advance to push back the demonstrators and make arrests, before calm would resume.
He said that he was wearing personal protective equipment, including goggles and a gas mask, but that with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers’ tactics, it didn’t make a difference.
“Based on previous experience, maybe they will pepper-spray you in the face and, when they realize you’re a journalist, they move on. But this time, it’s different. They see you, they realize you’re press, and first they pepper-spray your lens,” he told the Tracker.
Bassim noted that he was reporting alongside multiple other members of the press who received the same treatment. He added the tactic works: His lens was coated and the photos taken immediately after were almost entirely obscured.
One of the officers deliberately targeted him a second time.
“He came back, and he can see me wearing a gas mask, so he pepper-sprayed first into my gas mask,” Bassim said. “I didn’t move, and then he pepper-sprayed into my ear and on the back of my head.”
Bassim added that while the spray itself burns, worse still was that it covered his face entirely, reactivating when he removed his mask.
“I went back home that night after a long night, and I took a shower and was in there for two hours and still the burning of the chemicals was all over me the next day,” he said. “They’re not usually as aggressive to press, but this time it felt like it was very, very directed at us.
“It feels almost like it was some order to attack us,” Bassim continued.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
A protester is pepper-sprayed by an ICE agent outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Anadolu Agency photojournalist Mostafa Bassim was targeted multiple times with chemical irritants while covering the protests that day.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Mostafa Bassim (Anadolu Agency [Turkey])"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist engulfed with irritant at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-engulfed-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-04T19:07:33.194157Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-04T19:07:33.194157Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-04T19:07:33.081612Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Freelance photojournalist Jonathan Fernandes was pepper-sprayed by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 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 officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Fernandes told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that on May 26, officers were shoving protesters and journalists to make way for law enforcement vehicles coming through the facility’s driveway. One officer, holding a large can of pepper spray, deployed a stream of the irritant at the crowd.
“He goes in a line from the protesters to the press with the pepper spray. That was targeted,” Fernandes said. “He didn’t really care about press rights; he just sprayed us anyway.”
The pepper spray seeped beneath Fernandes’ goggles, temporarily blinding him for about five minutes while he rinsed his eyes. The resulting pain and disorientation sidelined him from the job for nearly 40 minutes.
“It was an ‘us versus them’ mentality,” he said. “Like, ‘Anybody who gets in our way, we’re just going to spray them.’”
The day before, Fernandes was thrust backward by an officer with a baton.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
A federal officer, at right, brandishes a can of pepper spray at an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Photographer Jonathan Fernandes was doused with the irritant while covering the demonstration.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Jonathan Fernandes (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Freelance photojournalist targeted with chemical irritant at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-photojournalist-targeted-with-chemical-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-10T19:07:03.894046Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-10T19:07:03.894046Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-10T19:07:03.770272Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
A freelance photojournalist, who asked not to be identified because of their immigration status, was targeted with chemical irritants by federal officers while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall 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 officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did statepolice in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
The photojournalist told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they were on assignment for a wire agency that day and were standing near other members of the press as they documented confrontations between Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and protesters.
Multiple journalists standing in that gaggle told the Tracker that federal officers deliberately targeted them with chemical irritants, aiming at their cameras and around their protective equipment in an attempt to affect them as much as possible.
Freelance photojournalist Madison Swart said the officers were using a more potent form of chemical irritant, describing it as a stronger, law-enforcement-grade product above pepper spray but not fully tear gas.
“There was a gaggle of press photographers and we all got sprayed in that same moment. It was totally unnecessary,” she told the Tracker.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
A protester and federal officers outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Multiple photojournalists reported that officers targeted them and their equipment with potent chemical irritant sprays.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Anonymous photojournalist 10 (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Freelance photojournalist targeted with pepper spray by federal officers","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-photojournalist-targeted-with-pepper-spray-by-federal-officers/","first_published_at":"2026-06-08T19:09:13.750480Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-08T19:09:13.750480Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-08T19:09:13.641043Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Freelance photojournalist Madison Swart was targeted with chemical irritants by federal officers while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall 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 officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did statepolice in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Swart told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the protest and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers’ response were so chaotic that it was hard to recall everything that happened to her.
“So much pepper spray was deployed,” she said, noting that the irritant used appeared to be a stronger, law-enforcement-grade product. “It’s above pepper spray, but it isn’t tear gas.”
Swart said that day was her first experience being sprayed with a chemical irritant, as she consistently keeps her distance from skirmish lines and tries to make eye contact with officers, so they are aware that she is press and not a protester.
“And I did that in that moment, to kind of let them know of my presence and to just see that I wasn’t a protester, I’m separate,” she told the Tracker. “But there was a gaggle of press photographers and we all got sprayed in that same moment. It was totally unnecessary.
“I felt like it was targeted because it was aimed at my camera.”
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer targets freelance photojournalist Madison Swart and other press with a chemical irritant spray amid protests outside a private immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Madison Swart (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Journalist threatened with Taser, pepper-sprayed by federal officers","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-threatened-with-taser-pepper-sprayed-by-federal-officers/","first_published_at":"2026-06-26T17:29:58.412000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-26T17:32:59.623201Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-26T17:32:59.349800Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was targeted with pepper-spray and threatened with a Taser by federal officers while covering protests outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall federal detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Federal officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.
Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
In a post on social media, Khan reported May 26 that protesters had gathered outside the detention center for the third straight day, and were met by dozens of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
“Barricades were dragged into the street. Demonstrators tried to block vans they believed were being used to move detainees out of the facility,” he wrote. “ICE agents pepper sprayed protesters outside the facility.”
Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he, too, was targeted by the federal officers.
“I definitely got targeted with pepper spray that day, and not only that,” he said. “I had a Taser pointed at my face, telling me to back up.”
Khan added that, though the officer was also aiming at a nearby protester, he himself was clearly identifiable as a member of the press.
“They were fucking out of control that day,” Khan told the Tracker. He was also struck in the leg as officers erratically swung their batons at the crowd to drive them back.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
Demonstrators link arms in front of an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Independent journalist Wali Khan was deliberately pepper-sprayed and threatened with a Taser by federal officers while covering the protest.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Wali Khan (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photographer shoved, pepper-sprayed at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-shoved-pepper-sprayed-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-02T17:14:08.110000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-03T21:13:10.297715Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-03T21:13:10.138850Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was pushed by federal officers and sprayed with a chemical irritant while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 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 officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Delgado, who was on assignment for Reuters, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that ICE officers responded to the May 26 protest with force, particularly when law enforcement vehicles were entering or leaving the facility.
Throughout the evening, he said, officers repeatedly shoved protesters and members of the media, including Delgado, as they tried to control the crowd.
While Delgado was documenting ICE arresting protesters, an officer suddenly hit him with pepper spray.
“He turned around and pointed the mace and sprayed me,” said Delgado, who was wearing press credentials and was clearly marked as press. “It completely stops you from doing the job at the moment.”
Delgado said he was forced to stop working for about 30 minutes while he flushed the pepper spray from his eyes. At least one other journalist was also deliberately pepper-sprayed that night.
Roughly two hours later, he was hit by pepper spray again when an officer deployed the irritant into the crowd, though he said that incident did not appear to target him specifically.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.
A federal officer, at left, sprays a chemical irritant during an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was pepper-sprayed while covering the demonstration.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["David \"Dee\" Delgado (Reuters)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Scott Kupor cracks down on leaks as head of federal personnel agency","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/scott-kupor-cracks-down-on-leaks-as-head-of-federal-personnel-agency/","first_published_at":"2026-07-07T20:20:04.379712Z","last_published_at":"2026-07-07T20:20:04.379712Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-07-07T20:20:04.206468Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Washington","longitude":-77.03637,"latitude":38.89511,"body":"
After Donald Trump began his second term, Director of the Office of Personnel Management Scott Kupor joined the president in taking steps to intimidate leakers and prevent unauthorized disclosures. We’re documenting Kupor’s efforts in this regularly updated report.
Read about how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more here.
May 26, 2026 | Head of government personnel office proposes NDAs for federal employees
Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management, released a draft nondisclosure agreement on May 26, 2026, and proposed its use for all federal workers in an attempt to crack down on leaks to the news media.
The OPM, which functions as the human resources office for the U.S. government, requested comment on the draft NDA, which it said would ensure that civil servants do not disclose “federal records and other non-public, confidential, or proprietary information” outside of authorized channels.
It added that, for the purposes of the NDAs, that information would include “information relating to internal agency operations, personnel matters, procurement processes, or any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available.”
“In much of the private sector, employees handling sensitive business or customer information are routinely required to sign confidentiality agreements, and the federal government should not be held to a lower standard,” he wrote.
The public comment period for the draft closed June 26.
The proposal is the latest in a series of efforts by President Donald Trump and his administration to identify and plug leaks. Former National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel all announced aggressive investigations into the source of leaks to the media in 2025.
Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, condemned the OPM proposal as absurd, unnecessary and “dangerously secretive.”
“This policy, from a president who has previously attempted to impose oppressive, corporate-style confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements on federal employees, would kneecap whistleblower protections, undermine the First Amendment, and wrongly inhibit the public’s right to know,” wrote Lauren Harper, the FPF Daniel Ellsberg chair on government secrecy. “It comes at a time when agency watchdogs are sidelined, FOIA officials are being fired, and leaks to the press — which are the sole reason the public knows about so much of this administration’s misconduct — are being demonized and prosecuted.”
Esha Bhandari, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, told the Post that efforts to “muzzle” government workers with NDAs would violate the First Amendment.
“Such broad gag orders would leave the public in the dark about how the government works, preventing the kind of informed debate that is critical to democratic accountability,” she said. “The government can’t shroud itself in secrecy in a democracy.”
Scott Kupor, then-nominee for director of the Office of Personnel Management, listens during a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., in April 2025.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"District of Columbia","abbreviation":"DC"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":["Media"],"tags":[],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Chilling Statement"],"targeted_journalists":[],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist sprayed in the face with irritant at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-sprayed-in-the-face-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-04T17:30:01.281641Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-04T17:30:01.281641Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-04T17:30:01.168821Z","date":"2026-05-25","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was pepper-sprayed by federal officers while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 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 officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
On May 25, Keith was on assignment for Getty Images, photographing ICE operations alongside a group of other credentialed journalists with cameras. Federal agents made eye contact with the journalists before dousing them with pepper spray. Keith’s face was coated in the irritant.
“There was literally no respect or no accord for the fact that we were nonthreatening and just standing there doing our jobs,” Keith told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. She immediately went home to wash the pepper spray from her body.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
Federal officers at a protest outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026. Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was pepper-sprayed by an officer while covering the demonstration.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Stephanie Keith (Getty Images)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Independent journalist shoved by federal officer at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-journalist-shoved-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-26T17:18:00.435213Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-26T17:18:00.435213Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-26T17:18:00.322663Z","date":"2026-05-25","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was shoved by a federal officer while covering protests outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall federal detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Federal officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.
Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
In a post on social media, Khan wrote that crowds had gathered outside the facility May 25 in an attempt to prevent the transfer of a detainee who was reportedly involved in organizing the hunger strike.
“In a public letter, detainees described fleeing violence and instability in their home countries only to end up inside what they called degrading and abusive conditions,” he reported. “They wrote of spoiled food, psychological torment, and feeling ‘kidnapped’ while being held without justification.”
Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that a federal officer deliberately shoved him while he was covering the clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
“I was shoved on my neck and chest while trying to take photos,” he said.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
Federal officers ride on an armored vehicle outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026. Journalist Wali Khan was shoved by an officer while covering protests at the facility that day.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Wali Khan (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist thrown backward by baton-wielding officer at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-thrown-backward-by-baton-wielding-officer-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-04T18:57:54.397000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-04T19:08:39.850965Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-04T19:08:39.718071Z","date":"2026-05-25","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Photojournalist Jonathan Fernandes was thrust backward by a federal officer with a baton while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 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 officersresponded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Fernandes told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that officers were pushing back a crowd of protesters and media when he was thrown back by an officer lunging at him with a baton. Fernandes, on assignment for Documented New York, was wearing visible press credentials.
“I was not in anyone’s way at all,” he said. “He could see my badge, that I’m holding a camera and not participating in any way.”
At a protest outside Delaney Hall the following day, Fernandes was pepper-sprayed by a federal officer.
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”
Photojournalist Jonathan Fernandes, who was shoved with a police baton while covering an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Jonathan Fernandes (Documented)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photographer pepper-sprayed by federal officer at LA immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-pepper-sprayed-by-federal-officer-at-la-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-07-16T19:29:04.985000Z","last_published_at":"2026-07-16T19:30:27.814456Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-07-16T19:30:27.565130Z","date":"2026-05-25","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Los Angeles","longitude":-118.24368,"latitude":34.05223,"body":"
Independent photographer Christopher Almaraz was doused with a chemical irritant by a federal officer while documenting a Memorial Day immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 25, 2026.
A small group of protesters had gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being held. Almaraz, who primarily publishes his work on social media and Substack, was there to document the demonstration. He carried two cameras and was marked as a member of the press on the front and back of his vest.
Almaraz told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that when Department of Homeland Security officers detained a demonstrator, Almaraz moved closer to photograph the arrest. As officers pushed another protester to the ground and began advancing, an officer aimed a pepper spray canister directly at Almaraz and drenched him.
Almaraz fled the area to wash out his eyes, which was captured in an Instagram video.
“My shirt was soaked in it,” he told the Tracker. “All the protesters and my colleagues were like, ‘He actually held that on you.’”
In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS reminded members of the media to exercise caution as they cover protests and that covering these activities in the field comes with risks. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.
“Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights,” the statement said.
The immigration detention center in Los Angeles, California, where on May 25, 2026, a federal officer pepper-sprayed photographer Christopher Almaraz while he documented a protest.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"California","abbreviation":"CA"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Christopher Almaraz (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Press encounter chemical irritants, blocked access at New Jersey protests","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalists-encounter-chemical-irritants-blocked-access-at-new-jersey-protests/","first_published_at":"2026-06-04T21:24:43.701000Z","last_published_at":"2026-07-28T15:09:56.067936Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-07-28T15:04:17.466505Z","date":"2026-05-22","exact_date_unknown":true,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"
Protests broke out in late May 2026 in Newark, New Jersey, outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility, 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. The Department of Homeland Security has denied the allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Federal officers and then state and local police responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.
Journalists on the ground described being exposed to chemical irritants fired by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and New Jersey State Police, being forced to pull back from the protest area and otherwise being impeded from documenting the protests.
Although these incidents do not constitute official press freedom violations under the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker’s criteria, we’ve provided a roundup of them below, organized by date (our reporting on the formal press freedom violations we cataloged in Newark in May and June ishere).
This roundup will be updated as additional incidents are verified. To date, law enforcement agencies have not responded to multiple requests for comment.
To learn more about how the Tracker documents and categorizes violations of press freedom, visit ourFAQ page.
May 26, 2026
Ben Ackman, on assignment for the New Jersey Monitor, told the Tracker he was indirectly exposed to pepper spray used by ICE and was unable to work for about 30 minutes while flushing the irritant from his eyes. Also that day, he was shoved by an agent.
Photographer David “Dee” Delgado, who was on assignment for Reuters, told the Tracker he was hit by pepper spray after a federal officer indiscriminately sprayed the crowd during an ICE charge toward a line of protesters. “He was just spraying everybody; it didn’t matter who.” Earlier that day, Delgado was deliberately pepper-sprayed by an officer.
\n
\n\t\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\t
A federal officer, at left, sprays a chemical irritant during an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was pepper-sprayed while covering the demonstration.
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t — REUTERS / DAVID “DEE” DELGADO\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\n
\n
Freelance journalist Amanda Moore told the Tracker she was sprayed by a chemical irritant during her evening coverage, causing measurable pain. Moore, who didn’t believe she had been targeted, said federal officers were spraying “super powerful crowd-control spray on individuals.” Later that day, a federal officer pointed a Taser at her while in pursuit of a protester.
Multimedia journalist Oliya Scootercasterposted a video on Instagram of a federal officer pepper-spraying a crowd, the irritant wafting toward her camera.
Freelance photojournalist Christian Vazquez told the Tracker that while he was documenting the protest, ICE agents called out to him and other journalists by name, reading from their press credentials, in what he described as an “intimidation tactic.”
May 27, 2026
EPA Images photojournalist Olga Fedorova was repeatedly pepper-sprayed while covering demonstrations that day. “Because I would get pepper-sprayed three or four times through the day or through the night,” Fedorova said, “when I took off my PPE whatever was left on my skin from that — even though I was super careful — left me instantly blinded just from the sheer quantity of it.” Also that day, she was threatened with batons and knocked to the ground multiple times by ICE officers, and her lens filter and gas mask were damaged in the process.
Photojournalist Stephanie Keith told the Tracker that an ICE agent raised his baton at her as she was photographing him. “He lifted up the baton like he was going to bring it down like straight smack down on the top of my head.”
Freelance photojournalist Edna Leshowitz took several photos showing a federal officer shining a light into her camera lens. She told the Tracker it felt deliberate. That day, she was also trampled and injured.
Photojournalist Ryan Murphy, on assignment for Reuters, told the Tracker that he was caught up in pepper spray fired into the crowd by ICE officers. And in images he filed with the wire agency, a federal officer can be seen shining a high-powered light directly into his lens, a tactic reported by multiple other journalists. Also that day, he was hit with a police baton and deliberately sprayed with the chemical irritant.
\n
\n\t\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\t
ICE agents during a protest outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. One officer shines a light into photojournalist Ryan Murphy’s camera as he captures the photo.
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t — REUTERS / RYAN MURPHY\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\n
\n
Photojournalist Cristina Panagi told the Tracker that pepper spray fired into the crowd by ICE seeped beneath her protective goggles and caused her forehead to burn. Also that day, she was pushed by an ICE officer.
Videographer Theoren Papp, of Level 12 Productions, told the Tracker that he was affected by pepper spray deployed by ICE. “It got in my eyes pretty decently,” said Papp, who doesn’t think the irritant was aimed at him, though he had to briefly shut down his livestream to recover.
Multimedia journalist Oliya Scootercasterposted a video on Instagram of an ICE agent dispensing pepper spray in her direction. In other videos posted that day, she was continuously exposed to chemical irritants.
Independent reporter Yaakov Strasberg told the Tracker that he was affected by pepper spray fired by federal officers that still lingered in the air.
May 28, 2026
Photojournalist Mostafa Bassim of Turkey’s Anadolu Agency told the Tracker that he was affected by chemical irritants sprayed indiscriminately by ICE officers outside the facility. He added that as soon as he arrived at the detention center, federal officers began shining high-powered lights directly at him. Later that day, an officer struck Bassim’s camera with a baton, splitting his lens in half.
Michael Karas, a photo and video journalist for NorthJersey.com, was threatened with a chemical irritant by a federal agent while documenting the protest, as shown in a photo posted by the outlet and on his Instagram.
Photojournalist Stephanie Keith told the Tracker she was hit with an irritant that ICE deployed into the crowd. “It was like a garden hose worth of pepper spray on everybody.”
Dean Moses, amNewYork’s police bureau chief and resident photographer, was struck by pepper spray fired by an ICE officer, the outlet reported. Moses told the Tracker that it was “very hard to know for sure” whether the officer targeted him as a member of the press. “It was so chaotic.”
Photojournalist Ryan Murphy, on assignment for Reuters, told the Tracker that an ICE officer pointed a Taser directly at him. Also that day, he was hit in the hand with a baton, needing stitches.
Freelance photojournalist Ian Peters told the Tracker that ICE agents shined their flashlights at his camera while he was taking pictures.
Independent reporter Nick Valencia told the Tracker that he received a notification that an Apple AirTag, a type of tracking device, had been traveling with him while documenting the protest. “I should not have my footsteps tracked for six hours unless someone was doing something nefarious,” said Valencia, who never found a physical AirTag on his person.
Freelance photojournalist Christian Vazquez told the Tracker that while documenting the protest in the afternoon, an ICE agent pushed a protester into him, and he suffered a minor scrape. In the evening, he was exposed to chemical irritants that ICE agents fired “randomly.” He said the irritant got through a hole in his goggles and hit his left eye, and that he was treated by medics who flushed his eyes. He described that experience in a video posted on Instagram.
Stephen Yang, on assignment for the New York Post, told the Tracker he was also affected by the chemical irritant. “I’m still getting the pepper spray out of my equipment and clothes and bag.”
An anonymous photojournalist told the Tracker they were sprayed with a chemical irritant while covering the protest that night, but could not say whether it was targeted. Later that night, a federal officer struck the photojournalist’s camera with a baton, smashing its flash transmitter.
An independent photographer, who also asked to remain anonymous, told the Tracker that as they were documenting the protest, an ICE officer doused them with pepper spray that he fired indiscriminately. “I had goggles on and a mask, but that stuff goes everywhere,” the photographer said.
May 29, 2026
Status Coup photojournalist Will Allen-DuPraw told the Tracker he was exposed to multiple crowd-control munitions, including tear gas and stun grenades, while covering the protest. Officers also struck him and shoved him back with their riot shields as he was documenting an individual’s arrest.
New Jersey State Police ordered a three-member WNBC television news crew — reporter Checkey Beckford and two photojournalists wearing press credentials — out of their marked news vehicle and into a cloud of tear gas, Beckford reported. The police pulled one of the photojournalists out of the car.
Freelance photojournalist Bruce Cotler told the Tracker that federal officers shined a bright light in his lens to prevent him from taking photos. Also that day, he was affected by tear gas and pepper spray and pushed over a concrete barrier.
Status Coup photojournalist Jon Farina told the Tracker that he was filming as mounted state police officers advanced into the crowd, using the horses to “sideswipe” individuals and push everyone onto the sidewalk. “We’re backing up and scrambling, and then I had to duck under the horse’s head, because the horse’s head was coming right at me,” Farina said. “But my camera’s on the tripod, so it was above me and the horse’s head smacked right into my camera. My camera did a 360 and I mean it was freaking cartoonish.” He added that he was uninjured and the camera sustained no damage. Both Farina and Status Coup reporter and CEO Jordan Chariton were also targeted with crowd-control munitions that night, including stun grenades and tear gas.
\n
\n
\n
🚨 POLICE HORSE HITS OUR CAMERA! 🚨
Absolute chaos outside the Newark ICE prison as a police horse literally hits Status Coup’s camera during Day 8 of the hunger/labor strike.
Freelance photojournalist Q. Sakamaki posted an image to Instagram in which a federal officer can be seen shining a bright light directly into his camera lens, a tactic that multiple journalists have said ICE officers used. A second officer appears to be making eye contact with the photojournalist as he aims a crowd-control weapon toward protesters and journalists.
Independent reporter Nick Valencia told the Tracker that strong chemical irritants seeped under his gas mask and caused him to violently choke, which he captured on Facebook. He said state police also pointed their crowd-control munition launchers at him, fired a flash bang at him and pushed him.
Freelance video producer Anita Wise told the Tracker that she was documenting the peaceful protest when suddenly, after dark, the state police came out shooting pepper balls and chemical irritants, and being “very aggressive.” She said she had to run away from the gas, adding, “I was just shocked; it was really absurd, especially when the protesters weren’t doing anything. And so for that reason, I came back Saturday, and I came back Sunday.” On Sunday, May 31, Wise was violently arrested while covering the protest.
Stephen Yang, on assignment for the New York Post, said that he was affected by tear gas deployed by law enforcement while documenting the protest. “The tear gas certainly was very effective at stopping me from doing my job intermittently throughout that night.”
May 30, 2026
Photojournalist Neil Constantine, who was on assignment for NurPhoto Agency, told the Tracker he was caught in tear gas several times and affected by the residue from pepper ball rounds being shot near him. State police also targeted him and another journalist with stun grenades and possibly tear gas as well.
Documentary photographer Adriano Kalin told the Tracker that the excessive tear gas deployed by New Jersey State Police got in his eyes and mouth. “I can’t breathe,” he said, coughing, in a video he posted that day on Instagram. An officer also fired a flash-bang grenade at him; it landed near his feet.
Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan told the Tracker he was subjected to extensive tear gas deployed by state police. Officers also shot at him with multiple stun grenades.
Andres Kudacki, a photojournalist on assignment for The Associated Press, posted on Instagram that while covering the demonstrations, his “mask and goggles became saturated with tear gas.”
\n
\n\t\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\t
Freelance photojournalist Andres Kudacki has his eyes rinsed out after his mask and goggles became saturated with tear gas while covering protests outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 30, 2026.
Freelance photojournalist Edna Leshowitz said tear gas fired by state police repeatedly burned her eyes, despite wearing protective gear. A flash-bang grenade also landed on her head. “You don’t have a lot of time to recover in between, and it was one after another.”
Freelance photojournalist Christian Vazquez told the Tracker that he was reporting as New Jersey State Police in riot gear responded to the protest in the late evening, and the situation “went from zero to 100 real quick.” The police fired chemical irritants to disperse protesters, and even though he was standing back and wearing goggles and a KN95 mask, the gas got into his airway and he started coughing. He said he was forced to flee the scene. “They didn’t care who they were aiming at,” he said. “They didn’t give any warning to disperse. It just happened.”
MS NOW reporter Ali Velshi and his news crew were reporting live on the large law enforcement presence outside Delaney Hall when a Newark police officer ordered them to move back from the facility. Velshi can be heard asking how far they need to move, to which the officer responds, “You have to push out all the way back.” Velshi replies, “Unfortunately we won’t be able to cover it if we go that far back.” Seven officers then form a loose line and are later joined by others to ensure that Velshi and his crew continue to move back. “We’re not doing anything to impede law enforcement nor do we wish to,” Velshi says to the audience. “But as you can see, the police are taking removing the press from the scene very, very seriously.”
An independent photographer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Tracker that they were documenting the New Jersey State Police responding to the protest when they were hit with a chemical irritant. “In the melee, my mask came off,” the photographer said, “So I was blinded. It was terrible.” They added that the state police were firing pepper balls and flash grenades in front of the crowd, and tear gas behind them, “backing us into the tear gas.” The photographer described the scene as “like a war zone.”
May 31, 2026
Independent photojournalist CS Muncywrote on Instagram that his vision was affected by a chemical irritant while documenting the protest. “With the CS gas still in my eyes, I wasn’t even sure I was focusing properly,” he said, referring to a type of tear gas.
Journalists Will Allen-DuPraw, Jordan Chariton, Jon Farina, Josh Pacheco, David Snow and Stephen Yang told the Tracker they were caught up in a police kettle, unable to leave, for roughly 10 minutes before officers announced that credentialed press had one chance to leave or face arrest. Officers arrested at least three journalists from the kettle.
Yang, on assignment for the New York Post, told the Tracker that Newark police officers blocked him and other members of the press from freely covering the protest for about 20 minutes. “They held us at a distance to where we could not see what was going on,” he said. “They’ll say it’s for safety, but really what they’re doing is they’re restricting press access.” Status Coup photojournalist Allen-DuPraw said they were held approximately 150-200 feet back from the officers as they continued to make arrests. “By being pushed back in that way, like to such a high degree, we were hindered from continuing to actually report on what was happening and make as accurate a record as possible,” he told the Tracker. Another Status Coup photojournalist, Farina, told the Tracker that he, the outlet’s CEO Chariton and others were then ordered to move even further back. Farina asked why and, when an officer couldn’t provide a reason, Farina said he told him, “Nope, we’ll stay right here. We’re just going to keep working.” The officers were told over the radio to use force if necessary, but Farina warned them it would be “a big story” if they did so. The officers ultimately backed down.
June 2, 2026
Journalist Jessica Formosoreported that she and her WNYW news crew were harassed and insulted by a man while reporting from outside Delaney Hall ahead of the Newark mayor’s news conference.
June 5, 2026
Multiple members of the press — including photojournalists Adriano Kalin and Wali Khan, and a photojournalist for the New Jersey Monitor — reported that the Newark police prevented them from carrying bags or wearing critical personal protective equipment within a perimeter established around Delaney Hall. “If we don’t have PPE, we can’t do our job as journalists,” Khan told the Tracker. Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the Tracker is a project, also condemned the ban. “These bans are dangerous, most importantly to journalists’ physical safety. But they also harm the public’s right to know,” wrote Senior Advocacy Adviser Caitlin Vogus. “When reporters can’t safely remain at a protest, the public loses access to independent documentation about what happened there.”
Freelance photojournalist Ian Peters told the Tracker he was affected by pepper spray fired by employees of The Geo Group, the operator of the private detention facility. “It was just spicy,” he said of the irritant, which got in his eyes and mouth.
Videographer David Snow told the Tracker he was affected by pepper spray fired into the air by The Geo Group. “They were just carelessly spraying it as they were exiting the facility in their vehicles,” said Snow, who was coughing and had difficulty breathing and seeing for several minutes. Later, Newark police blocked him from reentering the protest with his camera bag and gas mask.
June 6, 2026
Freelance photojournalist Tom Hudsonreported onsocial media that he had parked his car — clearly marked with “PRESS” in all caps on the side — in a location approved of by a police captain when he arrived at 9 a.m. that morning. Approximately 11 hours later, Hudson said, they took shelter in the car from a thunderstorm when suddenly dozens of law enforcement officers gathered around the vehicle and ordered him and Status Coup photojournalist Jon Farina to move their vehicles under threat of being towed or facing arrest. “They’re making it up as they go along, just like they were trying to restrict press from bringing their backpacks,” Hudson said. “They do not want cameras watching what they’re doing.”
Independent journalist Marcos Quinones told the Tracker that he was covering demonstrations when an ICE agent tried to prevent him from photographing. “I had an ICE agent literally cup my lens with his hand to stop me from taking pictures and told me to back away from him, even though I wasn’t even the closest person to him,” Quinones said. He added that his press credentials were clearly visible around his neck.
June 7, 2026
Freelance photojournalist Ian Peters told the Tracker that Newark police looked inside his camera bag and blocked him from carrying his gas mask into the demonstration. Officers also blocked videographer DavidSnow from bringing in a camera and asked to search his bag, but he told the Tracker he did not comply with the search. “They’re specifically targeting PPE, which is a defense,” Snow said, referring to personal protective equipment. Also that day, he was shoved by a Newark police officer.
Federal agents armed with crowd-control weapons aim at protesters outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center during a demonstration on May 29, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":["Media"],"tags":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Other Incident"],"targeted_journalists":[],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Trump targets news media, punishing critical coverage of his second term","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-targets-news-media-punishing-critical-coverage-of-his-second-term/","first_published_at":"2026-05-28T20:16:43.455000Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-28T20:32:45.927618Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-28T20:32:45.798941Z","date":"2026-05-15","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Washington","longitude":-77.03637,"latitude":38.89511,"body":"
President Donald Trump and his administration are continuing to take steps in his second term to punish and intimidate news outlets covering them unfavorably. We’re documenting Trump’s direct actions and public statements in this regularly updated report.
Trump’s social media posts denigrating the media are being catalogued separately in our ongoing project, the Trump Anti-Press Social Media Tracker. Read about Trump’s efforts in 2025, and how his appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more here.
May 15, 2026 | Trump calls journalists’ reporting on Iran war ‘treasonous’
President Donald Trump accused David Sanger — a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times — and others of treason for their coverage of the Iran war during a press gaggle on Air Force One on May 15, 2026.
Trump, who was returning from a series of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, held an informal press gaggle on the plane. In footage posted by Forbes, Sanger is heard asking the president what could be gained by resuming a bombing campaign against Iran.
“I had a total military victory. But the fake news, guys like you, write it incorrectly. You’re a fake guy and guys like you write about it incorrectly,” Trump responds. “We’ve had a total victory except by people like you that don’t write the truth. You know, you should write … I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write. But you and The New York Times and CNN, I would say, are the worst.”
As another journalist begins to ask a question, Trump turns back to Sanger, addressing him as David, and says that the reporter just writes what his editors tell him to, that he should be ashamed and that the reporting amounts to treason.
\n
\n\n\n
\n \n
\n\n \n\n
\n
Sanger defended his reporting and the importance of the new media generally during an appearance on CNN later that day.
“We all know what this is about: It’s an effort to intimidate news organizations into not doing the reporting,” Sanger told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “The president seems to conflate news he doesn’t want to hear with treason, and that’s not the case.”
In a statement posted to social media, Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander defended the newspaper’s coverage.
“Reporting isn’t treason. It’s foundational to a free press and the work that America’s founders wrote the First Amendment to protect,” he said. “That includes making clear when the claims of government officials and the reality of their actions don’t line up.”
The incident came just days after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had complained in April to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about leaks concerning the Iran war, and in one meeting passed a stack of news articles to Blanche with a sticky note that read “treason.”
The newspaper also revealed that it and other news outlets were issued subpoenas earlier this year as part of ongoing leak investigations, and that Blanche had vowed to secure such legal orders for the records of journalists working on sensitive national security stories.
April 6, 2026 | Trump says news outlet must identify source or ‘go to jail’
President Donald Trump vowed to investigate the source behind a leak concerning the downing of a U.S. fighter jet by Iran during a news conference on April 6, 2026, adding that he would not hesitate to take action against the media outlet that published the information.
The F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran April 3, and while the pilot was quickly rescued, the weapons systems officer could not be immediately located, triggering a frantic two-day search to find him before Iranian forces did. The incidents were covered by multiplenationalandinternationalnewsrooms.
Trump asserted that news reporting on the incident endangered the airman and others, and that the administration would approach the unnamed outlet that had published it as part of ongoing efforts to identify the leaker, The New York Times reported.
“We’re going to go to the media company that released it,” Trump said, “and we’re going to say, ‘National security — give it up or go to jail.’ And we know who, and you know who, we’re talking about.”
The White House did not clarify which news outlet the president was referring to, the Times reported.
Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, told the Times he was not aware of another instance of a president issuing such a threat.
“During times of armed conflict in a democracy,” Rottman said in a statement, “it is essential that the press be able to gather and report information in the public interest and thus provide an independent check on the official government narrative.”
President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2026.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"District of Columbia","abbreviation":"DC"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":["CNN","Media","The New York Times"],"tags":["Donald Trump"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Chilling Statement"],"targeted_journalists":["David Sanger (The New York Times)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Student journalist faced discipline after questioning college officials","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-faced-discipline-after-questioning-college-officials/","first_published_at":"2026-07-10T18:22:35.831847Z","last_published_at":"2026-07-10T18:22:35.831847Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-07-10T18:22:13.728944Z","date":"2026-05-11","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Long Beach","longitude":-118.18923,"latitude":33.76696,"body":"
Student journalist Paloma Maciel faced sanctions on May 11, 2026, after Long Beach City College accused her of harassment while she was reporting on a controversial student election at the California school.
Maciel, co-editor-in-chief of student newspaper The Viking News, reported that the student government election would be rerun after concerns emerged that ineligible people, including nonactive students, may have been allowed to vote.
On May 8, Maciel interviewed the dean of students about the topic. In the same building, she tried to talk to the student activities adviser, who declined to comment, she told the Long Beach Post. Maciel waited outside the adviser’s office until the dean told her the office was busy and later said it was closed; she then left.
Three days later, the college’s Office of Student Conduct notified Maciel that a complaint had been filed against her, The Viking News reported. The notice alleged that she had “engaged in persistent and increasingly harassing and aggressive behavior under the pretense of requesting interviews.” It also claimed she had “physically blocked” an administrator’s path, causing the employee to seek shelter in another office. Maciel, whose upcoming graduation was approaching, faced suspension or academic probation.
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Maciel told the Long Beach Post. “In my eyes, I was just reporting.”
Maciel attended a disciplinary hearing on June 2 with the college’s executive vice president of student services, where she answered questions and gave her account of the incident. The following day, the college informed her that she had not violated the student code of conduct and that no disciplinary action would be taken.
Carl Kemp, a spokesperson for Long Beach City College, declined to comment on the confidential student conduct investigation in an email to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. He asserted that reporting and writing in the newspaper is not a violation of campus policies.
Long Beach City College’s student newspaper, The Viking News, reported that its co-editor-in-chief, Paloma Maciel, faced discipline by the California school on May 11, 2026, after her reporting.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"California","abbreviation":"CA"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["student journalism"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Chilling Statement"],"targeted_journalists":["Paloma Maciel ([Long Beach City College] The Viking News )"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Utah politician knocks phone from reporter’s hand amid data center controversy","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/utah-politician-knocks-phone-from-reporters-hand-amid-data-center-controversy/","first_published_at":"2026-05-12T17:10:10.562545Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-12T17:10:10.562545Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-12T17:10:10.470926Z","date":"2026-05-06","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Layton","longitude":-111.97105,"latitude":41.06022,"body":"
State Sen. Jerry Stevenson smacked KTVX/KUCW reporter Bayan Wang’s phone out of his hand as Wang was working on a story related to a data center project in Layton, Utah, on May 6, 2026.
The artificial intelligence data center development was approved by Utah’s Box Elder County Commission on May 4. Stevenson, a Republican, sits on the board of Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority, which was created by the legislature to develop land to support defense-related infrastructure and which backed the data center project, KTVX reported.
Opponents of the project expressed concern about the potential environmental impact and apparent lack of consultation with the local community. A social media post called for a boycott of J&J Nursery and Garden Center in Layton, a business co-founded by Stevenson, and some employees told KTVX that they had been harassed.
Wang, who said he was informed by a Utah Senate staff member that Stevenson was not available for comment on the story, went to J&J Nursery on May 6 seeking to speak to employees about the alleged harassment, according to a report published by the station.
“While Wang was in his vehicle in the nursery’s parking lot, he noticed a man screaming at his photographer, who was outside his news vehicle without a camera in hand,” KTVX reported.
The reporter then approached the two individuals to find out what was happening, and tried to tell the senator that he had been in touch with staff at the nursery. Wang said Stevenson, who was wearing a Utah Senate jacket, refused to identify himself as a Utah state senator when asked.
The reporter said he told Stevenson about the story they were working on, then took out his cellphone and started recording.
In a video of the encounter posted by the station, Stevenson is shown asking Wang to leave, saying, “Just get your butt out of here.”
“Why are you being hostile to us?” Wang asked.
“Because I am tired of you,” Stevenson replied as he walked toward the reporter. He then swung his hand toward Wang, hitting the reporter’s hand and phone. Wang said his phone was knocked out of his hand onto the cement parking lot.
After the incident, Layton police arrived, saying they had been called by a witness reporting possible disorderly conduct by three individuals, according to KTVX. Wang showed the officer the video of the encounter.
Wang also confirmed to the officer that his phone had been damaged when it fell to the ground.
Shortly after, according to Wang, officers told him that Stevenson apologized for the incident, but still did not wish to speak with them.
The police also issued the KTVX crew a trespassing notice for J&J Nursery, which is private property. The Salt Lake Tribune, citing an interview with a Layton police officer, reported that Stevenson had asked law enforcement to issue the notice, which is not a charge or a citation, “but a warning that if they return, they could face criminal charges.”
Nancy Bauer, news director for KTVX/KUCW, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the news crew did not go to J&J Nursery with the intention of interviewing Stevenson, adding, “What you see on video was an unplanned encounter after Stevenson approached our team in the parking lot.”
She said the station “accepts the senator’s apology and intends to respect the trespassing warning issued at that time.”
She added, “Bayan Wang is declining to press charges against the senator at this time.”
Stevenson did not respond to a request for comment.
Utah state Sen. Jerry Stevenson confronts KTVX/KUCW reporter Bayan Wang on May 6, 2026, outside a business Stevenson owns in Layton, Utah. Moments later, the lawmaker knocked to the ground the phone Wang was using to film the interaction.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":"politician","border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"politician","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[{"quantity":1,"equipment":"cellphone"}],"state":{"name":"Utah","abbreviation":"UT"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":[],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault","Equipment Damage"],"targeted_journalists":["Bayan Wang (KTVX/KUCW)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Journalist held in NYPD kettle while covering protest near synagogue","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-held-in-nypd-kettle-while-covering-protest-near-synagogue/","first_published_at":"2026-05-21T18:55:51.921423Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-21T18:55:51.921423Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-21T18:55:51.819268Z","date":"2026-05-05","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"New York","longitude":-74.00597,"latitude":40.71427,"body":"
Multimedia journalist A.B. Youssef was held in a police kettle while covering a protest in New York, New York, on May 5, 2026.
The protest was taking place near a synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that was holding an event to promote real estate sales in Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the latter of which are widely believed to violate international law.
The New York City Police Department formed a buffer zone around the synagogue, prohibiting access to the block it was located on and directing pro-Palestinian and a smaller group of pro-Israel protesters, as well as press, onto surrounding avenues, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
Youssef told the Tracker that he and other journalists were documenting NYPD officers blocking off a sidewalk with metal barricades and pushing protesters back. The officers then formed a circle around the group of press with the barricades and told them they couldn’t leave.
“I was telling them, ‘You can’t lock us in here,’” he said. “And they just didn’t care.” He said he was wearing his New York City press credential and holding his camera gear, adding that many of the officers saw him often and knew who he was.
Video posted on social media by two other journalists who were in the kettle, Talia Ben-Ora and Neil Constantine, shows uniformed police and plainclothes public information officers placing metal barricades around a group of press, separating them from the area where the NYPD was pushing protesters back.
Youssef said the NYPD didn’t explain why they were penning them in, and gave conflicting instructions.
“They were saying, ‘Go out that way.’ And I said, ‘Where? That way is blocked too.’”
He said he was kept in that area for at least 10 minutes.
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.
Officers set up metal barricades around a group of press covering a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City on May 5, 2026. Journalists A.B. Youssef and Talia Ben-Ora were among those stuck in the kettle, and Ben-Ora captured video of the incident.
","arresting_authority":"New York City Police Department","arrest_status":"detained and released without being processed","release_date":null,"detention_date":"2026-05-05","unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New York","abbreviation":"NY"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["Israel-Gaza war","kettle","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Arrest/Criminal Charge"],"targeted_journalists":["A.B. Youssef (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Journalist kettled while covering protest near NYC synagogue","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-kettled-while-covering-protest-near-nyc-synagogue/","first_published_at":"2026-05-15T20:07:38.561193Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-15T20:07:38.561193Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-15T20:07:38.465257Z","date":"2026-05-05","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"New York","longitude":-74.00597,"latitude":40.71427,"body":"
Independent journalist Talia Ben-Ora was penned in a police kettle while covering a protest in New York, New York, on May 5, 2026.
The protest was taking place near a synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that was holding an event to promote real estate sales in Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the latter of which are widely believed to violate international law.
The New York City Police Department formed a buffer zone around the synagogue, prohibiting access to the block it was located on and directing pro-Palestinian and a smaller group of pro-Israel protesters, as well as press, onto surrounding avenues, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
Ben-Ora told the Tracker that at one point, NYPD officers suddenly barricaded a sidewalk on nearby Third Avenue, pushing metal barricades into protesters and using chemical irritants to prevent them from accessing an area that had previously been open.
Members of the press were standing behind the officers, documenting the police actions. Then, “NYPD flooded that space and closed us in, not allowing press to move away, resulting in a strange press-only kettle,” Ben-Ora said.
In a video Ben-Ora posted on Bluesky, uniformed police and plainclothes public information officers can be seen telling press to back up from the protest, then surrounding them with metal barricades, penning them in.
\n
\n
\n
Situation deteriorated as protest marched from Lex/68 back to their original protest location. Press kettled as NYPD pushed in on protestors, other press. We are now stuck beside the SRG line. Unclear if any arrests.
“They prevented us from leaving by not moving from in front of where the barricades were up against the wall, ignoring us, as other cops were pushing into the crowd,” Ben-Ora said, adding, “I didn’t get the sense that we would be arrested, just that they were freezing our movement in any direction, including away from where they were fighting protesters.”
Ben-Ora said that members of the press were allowed to leave the kettle after a few minutes, but were “still separated by a police line and barricades from the protest.”
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.
Officers push back pro-Palestinian protesters in New York City on May 5, 2026. The footage was taken by independent journalist Talia Ben-Ora moments before police penned a group of press inside metal barricades.
","arresting_authority":"New York City Police Department","arrest_status":"detained and released without being processed","release_date":null,"detention_date":"2026-05-05","unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New York","abbreviation":"NY"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["Israel-Gaza war","kettle","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Arrest/Criminal Charge"],"targeted_journalists":["Talia (Jane) Ben-Ora (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist kettled while covering protest near NYC synagogue","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-kettled-while-covering-protest-near-nyc-synagogue/","first_published_at":"2026-05-19T18:59:10.463644Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-19T18:59:10.463644Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-19T18:59:10.355317Z","date":"2026-05-05","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"New York","longitude":-74.00597,"latitude":40.71427,"body":"
Photojournalist Neil Constantine was held in a police kettle while covering a protest in New York, New York, on May 5, 2026.
The protest was taking place near a synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that was holding an event to promote real estate sales in Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the latter of which are widely believed to violate international law.
The New York City Police Department formed a buffer zone around the synagogue, prohibiting access to the block it was located on and directing pro-Palestinian and a smaller group of pro-Israel protesters, as well as press, onto surrounding avenues, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
Constantine, who was freelancing for NurPhoto Agency and whose New York City press credential was clearly visible, told the Tracker that at one point, NYPD officers suddenly barricaded a sidewalk on nearby Third Avenue. The officers pushed metal barricades into protesters to prevent them from accessing an area that had previously been open.
Members of the press were standing behind the officers, documenting the police actions. In a video Constantine posted on Instagram, uniformed police and plainclothes public information officers can be seen placing metal barricades around a group of press, separating them from the area where the NYPD was pushing protesters back.
In the video, Constantine can be heard saying, “This is kettling,” and “We are being blocked in here right now.”
Constantine told the Tracker that when journalists asked to leave the area, they were either told that they couldn’t, or were given conflicting instructions about where to go by officers who were within a few feet of one another. In addition, the officers wouldn’t answer their questions about why they were keeping them there.
He said they were kept in the kettle for around 15 minutes.
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.
Officers use metal barricades to surround a group of press covering a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City on May 5, 2026. Photojournalist Neil Constantine was among those stuck in the kettle, and captured video of the incident.
","arresting_authority":"New York City Police Department","arrest_status":"detained and released without being processed","release_date":null,"detention_date":"2026-05-05","unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New York","abbreviation":"NY"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["Israel-Gaza war","kettle","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Arrest/Criminal Charge"],"targeted_journalists":["Neil Constantine (NurPhoto Agency [Italy])"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist arrested at LA protest after being prodded with police batons","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-arrested-at-la-protest-after-being-prodded-with-police-batons/","first_published_at":"2026-05-05T18:13:27.499366Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-18T15:41:48.723233Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-18T15:41:48.593101Z","date":"2026-05-01","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Los Angeles","longitude":-118.24368,"latitude":34.05223,"body":"
Independent photojournalist Nick Stern was arrested and jabbed with police batons while covering a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
Thousands rallied in downtown LA for International Workers’ Day as part of nationwide “May Day Strong” demonstrations that also called for an end to the war in Iran and the immigration raids that have swept the city since June 2025. Later, demonstrators gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being held.
Stern told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the LA Police Department moved in to clear the area outside the adjacent City Hall, pushing the crowd back with batons before issuing a dispersal order that they said applied to everyone in the area, including the press.
Some journalists left, but not Stern. “I felt it was important to stay and document what was going on,” he said, citing the California law that exempts journalists from dispersal orders and protects them from arrest or interference by police, including use of force. A federal preliminary injunction against the city is in place to uphold those protections.
Stern, who was wearing credentials and a shirt identifying himself as press, said that, without warning, officers kettled a group that included mostly journalists, sealing them inside a tightened perimeter.
Stern, fearing he would be arrested, asked multiple times to leave but was blocked. At least two officers pushed him in the chest with batons, and one tried to swing at him. After Stern blocked the blow with his hand, a senior officer ordered Stern to turn around and put his hands behind his back.
In a video posted to Bluesky, Stern backed away from officers, spoke to them briefly, then began to leave.
“Turn around,” an officer said.
“Why are you telling me to turn around now?” Stern responded.
“You’re under arrest,” another officer replies before grabbing him, twisting his arms behind his back and placing his wrists in zip ties.
“It seemed like a selected arrest,” Stern told the Tracker, adding that all other journalists were eventually allowed to leave the kettle. Officers first told Stern he was being arrested for assault on a police officer, then later said it was for failure to disperse.
Stern’s right zip tie was tightened to the point of throbbing pain and numbness. He said officers loosened it after about 10 minutes, only after he shouted for them to. Red marks were still visible on his wrist two days later.
\n
\n\t\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\t
Photographer Nick Stern’s wrist about two hours after he was handcuffed by police while covering a protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t — COURTESY NICK STERN\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\n
\n
Stern was taken to jail, where he was held for two hours. He was the last of about a dozen people to be processed before being released without charges.
“It was just a process of intimidation,” Stern said.
Stern, whose work has appeared in The Guardian, CNN and The New York Times, among others, is working on a documentary about protests in LA and has been involved in seven cases documented by the Tracker in the city. In one, the city paid him a $150,000 settlement over his treatment by law enforcement while covering a 2020 protest.
In April, he addressed the LAPD’s board of commissioners, asking: “What do I have to do … so I don’t get brutalized by LAPD?”
The LAPD did not immediately return a request for comment from the Tracker, but in a statement posted on May 1, it wrote: “The Los Angeles Police Department fully supports the rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights.”
In an earlier statement following the March 28 “No Kings” rally — which resulted in nearly two dozen press freedom violations — Chief Jim McDonnell said that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment involving media members would be investigated and addressed.
“The LAPD recognizes the media’s right to cover events and makes reasonable efforts to accommodate, with those efforts consistent with our primary duty to maintain public safety and order,” that statement said.
Photojournalist Nick Stern, at center, is arrested while documenting a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
","arresting_authority":"Los Angeles Police Department","arrest_status":"arrested and released","release_date":null,"detention_date":"2026-05-01","unnecessary_use_of_force":true,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"California","abbreviation":"CA"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["immigration","kettle","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Arrest/Criminal Charge","Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Nick Stern (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Student photojournalist pushed by police, thrown by CBP agent at LA protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-photojournalist-pushed-by-police-thrown-by-cbp-agent-at-la-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-05-06T21:40:39.301558Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-08T16:50:23.559230Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-08T16:50:23.442888Z","date":"2026-05-01","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Los Angeles","longitude":-118.24368,"latitude":34.05223,"body":"
Ethan Cohen, a student photojournalist for California State University’s Long Beach Current, was shoved by police and flung backward by a federal officer while covering a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
Thousands rallied in downtown LA for International Workers’ Day as part of nationwide “May Day Strong” demonstrations that also called for an end to the war in Iran and the immigration raids that have swept the city since June 2025. Later, demonstrators gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being held.
Outside the adjacent City Hall, officers with the LA Police Department formed a skirmish line and pushed Cohen, along with other journalists and protesters, down the street.
“I told him, ‘Hey, I can’t move back,’” Cohen said of the officer pushing him. “He seemed to be understanding at that point.”
As the crowd thinned outside the detention center, federal officers made targeted arrests. During one arrest, Cohen told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, he crouched down to photograph the scene. Nearby, Customs and Border Protection agents grabbed photojournalist Blake Fagan and threw him backward.
“Then they picked me up and threw me back,” said Cohen, adding that he stumbled several steps before regaining his balance. “I was yelling at the officer, ‘What are you doing?’”
Cohen, who wore media credentials, and a vest and helmet labeling him as press, said he doesn’t know if the agent targeted him because he was a journalist or because the agent wanted to get through and create a perimeter for the arrest.
“There were other press that were told verbally to get back, rather than physically picked up and thrown,” Cohen said. “Had they asked me to move back, I would have complied, but I wasn’t given any option.”
The encounter interrupted Cohen’s ability to photograph the arrest; he said he removed himself from the situation and began documenting the protest in another area.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the LAPD. In a statement posted on May 1, the department wrote: “The Los Angeles Police Department fully supports the rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights.”
In an earlier statement following the March 28 “No Kings” rally — which resulted in nearly two dozen press freedom violations — Chief Jim McDonnell said that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment involving media members would be investigated and addressed.
“The LAPD recognizes the media’s right to cover events and makes reasonable efforts to accommodate, with those efforts consistent with our primary duty to maintain public safety and order,” that statement said.
Photojournalist Ethan Cohen, in press helmet at center right, is thrust backward by a Customs and Border Protection officer while covering a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"unknown","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"California","abbreviation":"CA"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest","student journalism"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Ethan Cohen ([California State University] Long Beach Current)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photographer detained while covering ‘May Day Strong’ rally in LA","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-detained-while-covering-may-day-strong-rally-in-la/","first_published_at":"2026-06-18T16:35:36.009573Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-18T16:35:36.009573Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-18T16:35:35.885731Z","date":"2026-05-01","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Los Angeles","longitude":-118.24368,"latitude":34.05223,"body":"
Independent photographer Steven Berumen was detained by police while covering a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
Thousands rallied in downtown LA for International Workers’ Day as part of nationwide “May Day Strong” demonstrations that also called for an end to the war in Iran and the immigration raids that have swept the city since June 2025. Later, demonstrators gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being held.
Berumen told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that during that evening, LA Police Department officers kettled a group of mostly press, sealing them inside a tightened perimeter. Berumen said he was photographing at the time and suddenly noticed he was surrounded by police.
According to Berumen, officers told those inside the kettle that anyone who tried to leave — including press — would be arrested. Berumen did not have a press credential but was wearing a blue press vest and carrying his camera equipment.
“It was kind of terrifying, honestly,” Berumen said. “I was worried about my camera; I was worried about my gear.”
At least six other journalists were either detained or arrested in the kettle. Berumen was ultimately released after about 20 minutes, once officers collected several journalists’ names and information.
The LAPD did not return a request for comment from the Tracker, but in a statement posted on May 1, it wrote: “The Los Angeles Police Department fully supports the rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights.”
In an earlier statement following the March 28 “No Kings” rally — which resulted in more than two dozen press freedom violations — Chief Jim McDonnell said that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment involving media members would be investigated and addressed.
“The LAPD recognizes the media’s right to cover events and makes reasonable efforts to accommodate, with those efforts consistent with our primary duty to maintain public safety and order,” that statement said.
Police officers kettle a group of mostly press, including photographer Steven Berumen, during a workers’ rights and immigration protest on May 1, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.
","arresting_authority":"Los Angeles Police Department","arrest_status":"detained and released without being processed","release_date":null,"detention_date":"2026-05-01","unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"California","abbreviation":"CA"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["immigration","kettle","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Arrest/Criminal Charge"],"targeted_journalists":["Steven Berumen (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Student photojournalist knocked backward by CBP agent at LA protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-photojournalist-knocked-backward-by-cbp-agent-at-la-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-05-07T17:48:56.298659Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-07T18:08:06.137502Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-07T18:08:06.052004Z","date":"2026-05-01","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Los Angeles","longitude":-118.24368,"latitude":34.05223,"body":"
Student photojournalist Blake Fagan was pushed and thrown backward by federal agents while covering a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
Thousands rallied in downtown LA for International Workers’ Day as part of nationwide “May Day Strong” demonstrations that also called for an end to the war in Iran and the immigration raids that have swept the city since June 2025. Later, demonstrators gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being held.
Fagan was documenting the protest for California State University, Northridge’s multimedia outlet, the Daily Sundial, when he followed the demonstrators to the detention center.
At one point, a person attending the protest shoved him and tried to pull off his press badge, Fagan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. He was also pushed by a Department of Homeland Security officer.
Later, federal agents began making targeted arrests. As officers moved to arrest a demonstrator, Fagan approached the perimeter of the scene and crouched to take a photo. Suddenly, he felt a tug on the back of his vest from behind.
“This guy just yanked me and threw me back,” said Fagan, who wasn’t able to capture the shot. “They didn’t give any verbal warning. They just did it.”
Fagan landed on his back, scraping his elbow. He said the officer who threw him was a Customs and Border Protection agent holding a shield. Seconds later, another student photojournalist, Ethan Cohen, was also flung backward.
Fagan, who was wearing press credentials, and a vest and helmet labeling him as press, said he considered the encounter targeted.
“This happens especially in LA on a pretty frequent basis, whether it’s targeted or not,” he said. “The use of force is alarming to see.”
A Department of Homeland Security officer is seen pushing photojournalist Blake Fagan as he covers a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
","arresting_authority":null,"arrest_status":null,"release_date":null,"detention_date":null,"unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":"law enforcement","was_journalist_targeted":"yes","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"California","abbreviation":"CA"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest","student journalism"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Blake Fagan ([California State University, Northridge] Daily Sundial)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Reporter detained in police kettle at May Day protest in LA","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-detained-in-police-kettle-at-may-day-protest-in-la/","first_published_at":"2026-05-11T21:20:47.998275Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-18T15:42:07.239475Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-18T15:42:07.053988Z","date":"2026-05-01","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Los Angeles","longitude":-118.24368,"latitude":34.05223,"body":"
L.A. Taco reporter Lexis-Olivier Ray was detained by police while covering a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.
Thousands rallied in downtown LA for International Workers’ Day as part of nationwide “May Day Strong” demonstrations that also called for an end to the war in Iran and the immigration raids that have swept the city since June 2025. Later, demonstrators gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being held.
Ray told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that LA Police Department officers had already formed a skirmish line by the time he arrived at the detention center, where officers on motorcycles started ordering people onto the sidewalk.
One of the officers grabbed and arrested Ray, ultimately issuing the journalist a citation for being in the roadway before releasing him.
Later, LAPD officers kettled a group of mostly press, sealing them inside a tightened perimeter.
\n
\n
\n
Yesterday, LAPD officer Cisneros Escoto jabbed me in my chest w/ her baton when I calmly asked for her serial number. I was asking for her serial number because a few moments earlier she shoved me with her baton while I filmed an arrest. This happened while LAPD kettled mostly press.
“We basically had nowhere to go, and we were surrounded by cops,” Ray said. “It was mostly just press at the end of the protest, very few protesters, so we should have never been kettled in the first place.”
Ray remained inside the kettle for about 15 minutes before being released and moved to a media staging area on the sidewalk.
“After I left, a journalist was arrested. I was able to document them taking him to a van or something to process them,” Ray said, referring to photojournalist Nick Stern. “But I wasn’t there when he was actually being arrested, and I would have liked to be, and it wasn’t the most ideal spot to be.”
Ray has been involved in 16 incidents in LA documented by the Tracker, half of which took place in the past year. He said what happened May 1 was “one of the most egregious examples” of how police have treated the press at demonstrations.
California law exempts journalists from dispersal orders and protects them from arrest or interference by police, including use of force. A federal preliminary injunction against the city is in place to uphold those protections.
Weston Rowland, an attorney representing the Los Angeles Press Club who was arrested alongside Stern, told the Tracker that the police response that day showed a blatant disregard for these legal protections.
“I don’t know what it’s going to take for them to understand that the freedom of the press is well protected under our constitution,” Rowland said. “In 2025 and 2026, it seems like they’re doing things that are specifically targeting the press. That’s stepping back, not forward.”
The LAPD did not immediately return a request for comment from the Tracker, but in a statement posted on May 1, it wrote: “The Los Angeles Police Department fully supports the rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights.”
In an earlier statement following the March 28 “No Kings” rally — which resulted in more than two dozen press freedom violations — Chief Jim McDonnell said that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment involving media members would be investigated and addressed.
“The LAPD recognizes the media’s right to cover events and makes reasonable efforts to accommodate, with those efforts consistent with our primary duty to maintain public safety and order,” that statement said.
An officer stands with baton at the ready as police formed a kettle around press and protesters in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026. L.A. Taco reporter Lexis-Olivier Ray was detained for about 15 minutes before being released without charges.
","arresting_authority":"Los Angeles Police Department","arrest_status":"detained and released without being processed","release_date":null,"detention_date":"2026-05-01","unnecessary_use_of_force":false,"case_number":null,"case_type":null,"status_of_seized_equipment":null,"is_search_warrant_obtained":false,"actor":null,"border_point":null,"target_us_citizenship_status":null,"denial_of_entry":false,"stopped_previously":false,"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access":null,"did_authorities_ask_about_work":null,"assailant":null,"was_journalist_targeted":null,"charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"California","abbreviation":"CA"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["immigration","kettle","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Arrest/Criminal Charge"],"targeted_journalists":["Lexis-Olivier Ray (L.A. Taco)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]}]
![\"REUTERS](\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-05-27T022858Z_1537304757_RC2BHLADRGMA_RTR.width-828.jpg\")
\n\n\n\t\n\t![\"REUTERS](\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-05-28T060855Z_579127650_RC23ILA43911_RTRM.width-828.jpg\")
\n\n\n\t\n\t![\"COURTESY](\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/EdnaLeshowitz_DelaneyHallInjuries_14-14.width-828.jpg\")
\n\n\n\t\n\t![\"COURTESY](\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/PFT_header_images_3.width-828.png\")
\n\n\n\t\n\t