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Freelance photojournalist Edna Leshowitz fell to the ground and was trampled, injuring her shoulder, while covering a protest outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 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. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
Leshowitz and other journalists told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker the protest followed a consistent pattern. Periods of calm would last until law enforcement vehicles tried to leave the facility, and protesters would move to block the cars from leaving. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would respond by advancing into the crowd and pushing demonstrators back.
“I’ve never seen it that violent,” said Leshowitz, who was wearing press credentials. “They see all of us as the enemy.”
At one point, ICE officers suddenly surged toward the crowd, raising their batons as though they were preparing to strike. Protesters and journalists scrambled backward in panic. As she photographed the scene, Leshowitz lost her footing and fell.
As she lay on the ground, she could hear the sound of boots around her. Three people retreating with the crowd stepped on her before someone pulled her to safety.
Leshowitz said she suffered scrapes to her elbow and knee. She also suffered a partially torn rotator cuff when she tried to break her fall with her left arm. Doctors told her she will need physical therapy and may require surgery.
When working, Leshowitz now relies more heavily on her right arm and feels pain that worsens by the end of the day.
“I need to raise both arms above my head a lot for certain shots,” she said. “It’s tough to have to work around it and be left with a long-term injury.”
At another protest outside Delaney Hall days later, a flash-bang grenade fired by state police landed on her head.
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 agents at a protest outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. Photojournalist Edna Leshowitz fell backward and trampled 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":"private individual","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":["Edna Leshowitz (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist hit with baton, doused with irritant at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-baton-doused-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-03T16:15:41.031797Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-03T16:15:41.031797Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-03T16:15:40.882133Z","date":"2026-05-27","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Photojournalist Ryan Murphy was struck in the leg with a baton and 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 27, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Murphy told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was walking through the protest when an ICE officer hit the back of his leg with a baton.
“He full-on targeted me and hit me full on with his baton, and I looked at him and said, ‘I’m press,’” said Murphy, who added that the officer apologized. Murphy, who was on assignment for Reuters, was wearing press credentials and carrying his cameras at the time. “He didn’t seem to care, he was just throwing his baton everywhere, being super aggressive.”
Murphy said he witnessed an officer strike a protester in the face with a baton. He was also pepper-sprayed — in situations that were both targeted at him and other media or during periods when he was caught in the cross fire.
“It seemed pretty indiscriminate that they were just kind of blanketing people with pepper spray, just pointing in a general direction and just letting it rip,” said Murphy, who felt the sting of the irritant until the next morning. “My entire shirt was stained orange.”
The next day, his hand was struck with a baton, requiring stitches.
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 hold batons outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. Photojournalist Ryan Murphy was struck with a baton and 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":["Ryan Murphy (Reuters)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist pushed by ICE officer at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-by-ice-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-01T20:20:18.637000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-03T20:26:41.869648Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-03T20:26:41.728999Z","date":"2026-05-27","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Photojournalist Cristina Panagi was shoved by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied the allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Panagi told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as the area outside Delaney Hall became increasingly crowded, officers began pushing members of the press. An ICE officer then shoved her, even though she was clearly identifiable as a journalist by her media credentials and markings on her backpack.
“It was clear he was just trying to block us from being able to move,” she said, referring to her efforts to freely document the protest. “The aggression was really not anything I’ve ever seen before.”
Officers also fired pepper spray into the crowd, and Panagi said the chemical irritant seeped beneath her protective goggles, causing her forehead to burn. At a protest the day before, Panagi was also 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.”
Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shoves photojournalist Cristina Panagi while she covers an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 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":["Cristina Panagi (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist, camera targeted with pepper spray by federal officer","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-camera-targeted-with-pepper-spray-by-federal-officer/","first_published_at":"2026-06-11T14:23:17.856430Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-11T14:23:17.856430Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-11T14:23:17.735577Z","date":"2026-05-27","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 27, 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 officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
The photojournalist told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they were on assignment for a wire agency when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer targeted them with pepper spray, aiming directly at their camera’s lens.
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 sprays a chemical irritant toward protesters outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. An ICE officer targeted a freelance photojournalist with the spray as well.
","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":"Agency photojournalist targeted with pepper spray by federal officers","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/agency-photojournalist-targeted-with-pepper-spray-by-federal-officers/","first_published_at":"2026-06-10T13:21:09.933019Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-10T13:21:09.933019Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-10T13:21:09.833769Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"EPA Images photojournalist Olga Fedorova 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 officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Fedorova told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she was standing near independent photojournalist Mostafa Bassim and other members of the press when they were all doused with a chemical irritant.
“That was the most quintessential, undeniable instance of targeting someone,” she said, noting that officers purposefully aimed at the journalists’ cameras and into their ear canals.
“The agent was waiting to do this,” Fedorova continued. “Pepper spray is supposed to be used as self-defense, not to torture us.”
Fedorova said that their experience that day was far from an isolated incident.
“Every day, I think, every single member of the press was doused in pepper spray, like completely, completely covered in pepper spray,” she added.
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 pepper-sprays protesters outside a private immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. EPA Images photojournalist Olga Fedorova was also targeted with chemical irritant spray.
","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":["Olga Fedorova (EPA Images [Germany])"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist pepper-sprayed by ICE at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-by-ice-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-01T20:37:35.642000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-03T20:25:25.162919Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-03T20:25:24.887007Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Photojournalist Cristina Panagi was sprayed with chemical irritant 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 officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Panagi told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that ICE agents fired pepper spray indiscriminately into the entire crowd outside Delaney Hall, which included members of the press.
“We all got hit continuously over the course of the night, to the point where it smelled like hot sauce,” Panagi said.
Throughout the night, Panagi recalled, officers pointed pepper spray directly at her and other reporters who were clustered together and a fair distance away from protesters.
At one point, law enforcement chased protesters across the street to detain them. As reporters followed to photograph the arrests, officers aimed and fired pepper spray directly at the journalists, including Panagi.
“That’s where it became pretty targeted,” she said. “They’re going to detain people, they’re chasing down protesters, and then they’re pointing and pepper-spraying press to prevent us from following and documenting.”
Panagi, who was wearing media credentials and a backpack marking her as press, said the orange spray covered her arms, got into her mouth and caused her sinuses to burn.
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.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, in red at center, pepper-sprays photojournalist Cristina Panagi while she covers an immigration protest outside a 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":["Cristina Panagi (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist shoved by federal officer at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-04T17:36:02.780000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-04T17:48:37.541990Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-04T17:48:37.404044Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Photojournalist Ben Ackman was pushed 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 officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Ackman, on assignment for the New Jersey Monitor, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that an officer pushed him aside twice while chasing a protester. Ackman said he did not believe he was targeted because he was a journalist, but was simply in the way as ICE pursued an arrest.
“They shoved me, and then they ran behind me,” said Ackman, who was holding a camera and wearing press credentials.
Ackman said that he was also affected that day by pepper spray, which got in his eyes. He had to step away from documenting the protest for about a half hour while he washed it out. A couple of days later, he was pushed again by an 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 Ben Ackman is pushed by an ICE officer while covering an immigration protest outside a 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":"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":["chemical irritant","Department of Homeland Security","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Ben Ackman (New Jersey Monitor)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"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 officers responded 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.
In footage Khan captured that night, an ICE officer is seen repeatedly striking at the lower legs of protesters.
“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.”
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 officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
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 officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
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 officers responded 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 officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
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 officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
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 officers responded 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 officers responded 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 the following days, Delgado was pepper-sprayed again by ICE and injured by a crowd-control munition fired by a state patrol 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.”
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":"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 officers responded 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 officers responded 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 officers responded 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":"Journalists 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":"2026-06-18T17:23:24.066420Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-18T17:23:23.897611Z","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 is here).
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 our FAQ page.
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.
This article was first published on May 28, 2026.
\r\n
May 15, 2026 | Trump calls journalists’ reporting on Iran war ‘treasonous’\r\n
April 6, 2026 | Trump says news outlet must identify source or ‘go to jail’
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.
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.
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 multiple national and international newsrooms.
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.”
\r\n
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":"Todd Blanche targets press, leakers as acting attorney general","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/todd-blanche-targets-press-leakers-as-acting-attorney-general/","first_published_at":"2026-05-15T17:53:11.227807Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-15T17:53:11.227807Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-15T17:51:44.383357Z","date":"2026-05-12","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Washington","longitude":-77.03637,"latitude":38.89511,"body":"As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, he removed Pam Bondi as attorney general. Her deputy, now acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, joined Trump in efforts to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration critically. We’re documenting Blanche’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.
This article was first published on May 15, 2026.
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May 12, 2026 | Acting attorney general defends DOJ subpoenas to WSJ, others
\r\nApril 7, 2026 | Acting attorney general willing to subpoena journalists in leak investigations
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the issuing of federal subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal as part of a leak investigation, after the legal orders were made public on May 11, 2026.
In a May 12 social media post, Blanche wrote, “Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration.
“Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material,” he continued.
A Justice Department official emphasized to CBS News the same day that the subpoenas were issued as part of an investigation into the source behind the leaks, not the journalists themselves.
Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, condemned the subpoenas and the use of “national security” as justification.
“These subpoenas are a direct threat to the public’s right to know, and the Journal is correct to fight them,” FPF Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said. “Since the Department of Justice has abandoned the First Amendment, it’s up to the courts to restrain the government’s attempts to crush investigative journalism.”
The subpoenas to the Journal are just the latest instance of the news media being caught up in or deliberately targeted in federal investigations since then-Attorney General Pam Bondi rescinded Biden-era protections for journalists in April 2025.
Earlier this year, the DOJ subpoenaed The Washington Post, and the FBI executed a search warrant at the home of its reporter, Hannah Natanson, seizing her equipment. Independent photojournalist Robert Scherle was questioned by two FBI agents at his home seeking information about protesters. And FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly ordered investigations into two reporters following unfavorable coverage.
During his first press briefing as acting attorney general on April 7, 2026, Todd Blanche said he would not hesitate to subpoena members of the press to uncover sources behind leaks of classified information.
The previous day, President Donald Trump vowed to investigate the source behind a leak concerning the downing of a U.S. fighter jet by Iran.
“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.’”
When asked about Trump’s comments, Blanche said that classified information leaks will always be investigated.
“If that means sending a subpoena to the reporter, that’s exactly what we should do, and that’s exactly what we will be doing,” Blanche said. “If it means doing regular investigations to identify who within the government feels like it’s OK to leak classified information, to put lives at risk, then we’ll try to root him or her out as well.”
\r\n
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 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":["Media"],"tags":["Department of Justice"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Chilling Statement"],"targeted_journalists":[],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"FBI Director Kash Patel targets press","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/","first_published_at":"2026-04-20T19:46:25.941424Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-13T14:36:25.863121Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-16T15:37:58.001624Z","date":"2026-05-07","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Washington","longitude":-77.03637,"latitude":38.89511,"body":"As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, his FBI director, Kash Patel, took steps to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration critically. We’re documenting Patel’s efforts in 2026 in this regularly updated report.
Also read about Patel’s efforts in 2025, and how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more.
This article was first published on April 20, 2026.
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May 7, 2026 | Patel orders polygraphs for his security detail, other staff (updated)
\r\nMay 6, 2026 | FBI investigates reporter who wrote about Patel’s alleged excess drinking (updated)
\r\nApril 20, 2026 | Patel sues The Atlantic for defamation
\r\nFeb. 28, 2026 | FBI investigates reporter who wrote about Patel’s girlfriend
FBI Director Kash Patel has ordered polygraphs for more than two dozen members of his security detail and other staff as part of his quest to unmask those who’ve spoken with the press, MS NOW reported on May 7, 2026.
Following an April 17 article by Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick on Patel’s alleged excessive drinking, erratic behavior and absences from the agency’s headquarters, the FBI director has sued the magazine and Fitzpatrick, and opened an investigation into her.
According to MS NOW, Patel has also isolated himself from some senior bureau leaders. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson disputed those claims, telling MS NOW Patel has been regularly meeting with operational leaders. Williamson declined to comment, however, on whether Patel ordered polygraphs.
During a hearing before the U.S. Senate on May 12, Patel vehemently denied allegations about his conduct and that he had subordinates sit for polygraph examinations over the recent reports. “I don’t order any polygraph tests,” he insisted.
The New York Times reported that multiple people familiar with recent polygraphs and internal investigations said that they were ordered by the director.
Patel had previously announced the use of polygraphs to identify the sources behind leaks to the media in April 2025, and similar efforts have been undertaken by other agency heads.
The FBI is conducting a criminal leak investigation focused on Atlantic journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick, MS NOW reported on May 6, 2026, following her exclusive reporting on Director Kash Patel’s alleged excessive drinking, erratic behavior and absences from the agency’s headquarters.
Fitzpatrick’s article, published April 17, reported that Patel’s conduct on the job has included “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences,” and that more than two dozen sources, including current and former FBI officials, “described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability.”
Patel sued The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick for defamation April 20, claiming that the article’s allegations were “designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office,” and demanding $250 million in damages.
MS NOW reported that two sources close to the matter confirmed that an investigation focusing on Fitzpatrick was underway, but during a hearing before the U.S. Senate on May 12, Patel vehemently denied its existence.
“I can tell you unequivocally, this FBI is targeting and investigating no journalists,” Patel said.
Such an investigation could enable federal agents to obtain her phone records, examine her social media networks and run her name through the bureau’s databases.
In an email to subscribers, Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that such an investigation, if true, would be disturbing. But, he added, the magazine will defend itself and its staff vigorously.
“We will not be intimidated by illegitimate investigations or other acts of politically motivated retaliation; we will continue to cover the FBI professionally, fairly, and thoroughly; and we will continue to practice journalism in the public interest,” Goldberg continued.
“This isn’t our first rodeo. We’ve faced extraordinary government pressure, and Trump-administration calumny, before. We live in a period in which some media organizations buckle under government pressure. I promise you that we will never give in. If a story is true, we will publish it.”
Attorneys for FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic and its reporter, Sarah Fitzpatrick, on April 20, 2026, accusing them of defaming him in an article about Patel’s alleged erratic behavior and poor job performance.
Fitzpatrick’s article, published April 17, reported that Patel’s conduct on the job has included “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences,” and that more than two dozen sources, including current and former FBI officials, “described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability.”
Patel’s lack of availability has exacerbated bureaucratic delays at the FBI, Fitzpatrick reported, and his alleged excessive drinking may have led to his sharing inaccurate information about active law enforcement investigations.
Fitzpatrick quoted a statement from the FBI, attributed to Patel, responding to her list of questions: “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court—bring your checkbook.”
The day the article was published, Patel’s attorney Jesse Binnall posted a letter on social platform X that he said he had sent to The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick, alleging that Fitzpatrick’s questions had contained false claims and threatening legal action if those claims were published.
Three days later, Patel’s attorneys filed their complaint in federal court for defamation, claiming that the article’s allegations were “designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office,” and that the article’s publication was done with “actual malice,” and demanded $250 million in damages.
“The statements,” the complaint argued, “falsely assert that the Director of the FBI—the nation’s chief federal law-enforcement officer—is a habitual drunk, unable to perform the duties of his office, is a threat to public safety, is vulnerable to foreign coercion, has violated DOJ ethics rules, is unreachable in emergencies, has required the deployment of ‘breaching equipment’ to extract him from locked rooms, allows alcohol to influence his public statements about criminal investigations, and behaves erratically in a manner that compromises national security.”
The Atlantic responded to the suit on X, writing: “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”
The FBI investigated New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson after she published a report on Feb. 28, 2026, that the agency’s director, Kash Patel, had provided unprecedented transportation and security resources for his girlfriend.
FBI agents searched databases for information on Williamson and recommended further investigation to determine whether she had broken federal stalking laws while reporting the story, the Times reported April 22.
Justice Department officials, however, “determined there was no legal basis to proceed with the investigation,” and the FBI dropped the case.
Williamson had reported that Patel’s girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, has been assigned an escort of SWAT personnel and that “Mr. Patel’s demand that rotating SWAT teams provide his girlfriend with security for singing appearances, personal engagements and errands is unprecedented in the F.B.I.”
The day the article was published, Wilkins received a threatening, anonymous email, which she forwarded to the FBI, the Times wrote. The email’s alleged sender was later criminally prosecuted and said they had sent the email after reading Williamson’s article, according to an affidavit in the case.
The FBI then interviewed Wilkins, who said she felt “harassed” by Williamson’s reporting, which had involved reaching out to numerous people who knew her. Agents then launched the investigation into Williamson, citing laws against stalking and threats as justification.
Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn called the investigation “alarming,” telling the paper, “The F.B.I.’s attempt to criminalize routine reporting is a blatant violation of Elizabeth’s First Amendment rights and another attempt by this administration to prevent journalists from scrutinizing its actions.”
\r\n
FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 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":["The Atlantic"],"tags":["Department of Justice","Donald Trump"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Chilling Statement"],"targeted_journalists":["Sarah Fitzpatrick (The Atlantic)","Elizabeth Williamson (The New York Times)"],"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":"Andrea Lucas targets news media as equal employment opportunity chair","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/andrea-lucas-targets-news-media-as-equal-employment-opportunity-chair/","first_published_at":"2026-05-08T16:31:27.345088Z","last_published_at":"2026-05-08T16:31:27.345088Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-05-08T16:27:23.314197Z","date":"2026-05-05","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Washington","longitude":-77.03637,"latitude":38.89511,"body":"As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, his Equal Employment Opportunity Commission chair, Andrea Lucas, used her office to further Trump’s efforts to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered him and his administration critically. We’re documenting her 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.
This article was first published on May 8, 2026.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued The New York Times on May 5, 2026, following a monthslong investigation led by Chair Andrea Lucas over the newspaper’s alleged discrimination against a white male employee.
The complaint asserts that the Times’ diversity goals and production of annual diversity and inclusion reports demonstrate an institutional practice of discrimination against white men.
In a social media post announcing the suit, the EEOC highlighted that a “qualified white male employee was excluded from final interviews” while only non-white males were selected, and that the role went to another candidate “with less relevant experience.”
“No one is above the law — including ‘elite’ institutions,” Lucas said in a statement. “No matter the size or power of the employer, the EEOC under my leadership will not pull punches in ensuring evenhanded, colorblind enforcement of Title VII to protect America’s workers, including white males.”
Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha called the allegations “politically motivated,” asserting that they represent just the latest effort to leverage the tools of the federal government to pursue President Donald Trump’s personal aims.
“Throughout this process, the E.E.O.C. deviated from standard practices in highly unusual ways, blatantly weaponizing a traditionally independent government body to serve a predetermined narrative,” Rhoades Ha told the Times. “We will defend ourselves and our values vigorously as there is not a single piece of evidence to support any claim of discrimination.”
Kalpana Kotagal, the sole Democrat on the commission, voted against authorizing the lawsuit. In a post on social media, she argued that a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility alone is not evidence of discrimination.
“These programs are critical to building and maintaining successful workplaces as well as attracting and retaining top talent,” Kotagal wrote. “I fear this litigation is driven not by the merits, but by a desire to advance the administration’s political agenda, which weakens civil rights protections for workers and undermines employer efforts to advance equal employment opportunity.
“Notably, this litigation is filed on the heels of New York Times reporting on the weaponization of the agency, and the diversion of limited resources toward cases that align with the administration’s priorities,” she added.
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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas in her office in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 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":["The New York Times"],"tags":[],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Chilling Statement"],"targeted_journalists":[],"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":[]}]