Independent photojournalist Josh Pacheco was shoved, targeted with stun grenades and shot with crowd-control munitions by law enforcement while covering demonstrations outside a private detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 30, 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.
Pacheco told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they had been covering the protests for several days by May 30 and that day was by far the most brutal, with officers from both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and New Jersey State Police at the scene.
“They were firing directly at press and activists, like, point-blank pepper balls to the stomach for one press person that I documented myself,” they said. “And I was shot in the calf and in the shin.”
The photojournalist added that the targeting also extended to the use of tear gas and stun grenades, which Pacheco said were repeatedly shot or thrown directly at press and their feet.
“The tear gas was just so, so much. I had to have my eyes flushed four times on Saturday,” they told the Tracker.
Pacheco was also repeatedly shoved with a metal barricade by a state police officer, who was using it to push the crowd back or knock them to the ground. The repeated ramming damaged their camera lens, chipping the glass front element and the filter thread, as well as a lens hood.
![\"COURTESY](\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Pacheco_-_equip_damage.width-828.png\")
\n\n\n\t\n\tPhotojournalist Josh Pacheco documented damage to their camera lens following a protest outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 30. The front element, at left, was chipped and pieces of the filter thread, at right, were broken off.
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t“The whole point of sending in the police was to minimize aggression and violence,” Pacheco told the Tracker. “And it didn’t minimize anything. It just changed faces and, if anything, amped up even more.”
They emphasized, however, that the extent of the aggression from federal officers was much higher.
“ICE seemed to be so much more deranged, more angry, and there’s less restrictions on what they’re able to do in terms of enacting violence on civilians,” Pacheco said, “whereas riot cops have done this before and there is sort of a playbook that they go by when they are enacting aggression like this.”
The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
In a statement posted to X early May 31, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state and local law enforcement had responded to “aggressive actions” outside Delaney Hall. She also announced that a curfew would be in place around the facility until further notice. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.
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 New Jersey State Police officer pushes back protesters with a metal barricade outside an immigration detention center in Newark on May 30, 2026. Photojournalist Josh Pacheco was repeatedly hit with the barricade, damaging their camera lens.
","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":"law enforcement","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":[{"quantity":1,"equipment":"camera equipment"},{"quantity":1,"equipment":"camera lens"}],"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","shot / shot at"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault","Equipment Damage"],"targeted_journalists":["Josh Pacheco (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist hit with wooden board while covering New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-wooden-board-while-covering-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-10T21:33:45.224019Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-10T21:33:45.224019Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-10T21:29:19.541815Z","date":"2026-05-30","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Photojournalist Angelina Katsanis was struck in the knee and injured by a wooden board while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 30, 2026.
While seeking medical attention at the scene, she left behind her equipment bag containing around $10,000 worth of camera gear and her keys, which was stolen. The New Jersey attorney general announced June 4 that an Essex County Prosecutor’s Office sergeant, Darryl Brown, had been charged in connection with the theft.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
According to multiple news reports and an online fundraiser posted on her behalf, Katsanis — on assignment for The Associated Press — was covering the protest on the front line when she was hit in the knee by what was described as a six-foot-long two-by-four.
Katsanis told The New York Times that she didn’t know who threw the board.
The blow caused a serious injury that made it difficult for her to walk, but Katsanis fled the area as a line of New Jersey State Police advanced. She left behind the equipment bag, which also contained a keychain with an Apple AirTag — clearly labeled with her name and contact information.
“I knew if I didn’t run, I would be more severely hurt,” the photojournalist told the Times. “I ran or hobbled pretty far — the adrenaline kicked in.”
She sought assistance from medics at the scene, who provided her with a wheelchair. With the help of other journalists, she went back to the front line and negotiated with police in riot gear to let her through to retrieve her bag and seek further medical care, in a scene captured on video.
However, the bag was no longer there. It was later traced via the AirTag to Brown’s residence in northern New Jersey, according to the attorney general’s office.
Katsanis was treated at a nearby hospital for what an AP account described as swelling and bruising on her leg, but no broken bones. Her attorney, Wylie Stecklow, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker on June 8 that she has since returned to work.
Stecklow praised the response of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office to the theft of her bag.
“The NJAG office took this very seriously and within two days of us first contacting them, they had obtained a search warrant, executed it, and arrested the individual,” he said.
A GoFundMe set up to assist Katsanis had raised nearly $20,000 as of June 10. In addition to the costs of replacing her equipment, it also listed expenses related to replacing her car and house keys, accessing and towing her car, and medical care.
Photojournalist Angelina Katsanis, pictured, was struck in the knee with a wooden board while documenting a protest outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 30, 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":"unknown","was_journalist_targeted":"unknown","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"New Jersey","abbreviation":"NJ"},"updates":[],"case_statuses":[],"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained":[],"target_nationality":[],"targeted_institutions":[],"tags":["immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Angelina Katsanis (The Associated Press)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"New Jersey newspaper ordered to unpublish video, put under gag order","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/new-jersey-newspaper-ordered-to-unpublish-video-put-under-gag-order/","first_published_at":"2026-06-15T01:19:44.579000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-15T15:12:50.803004Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-15T15:12:50.695189Z","date":"2026-05-29","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"New Brunswick","longitude":-74.45182,"latitude":40.48622,"body":"New Brunswick Today was ordered by a New Jersey state court to remove footage from its website and YouTube on May 29, 2026, following a complaint by the New Brunswick Board of Education.
According to court filings reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, the footage obtained by the newspaper and published May 28 was taken by surveillance cameras at New Brunswick High School, and showed a student entering the building and triggering the alarm on a metal detector. The student was searched by security and was found to be carrying a concealed weapon.
“The district has reason to believe that the footage was recorded from a computer by an individual with access to the district’s surveillance system and disseminated without authorization,” Aubrey Johnson, superintendent of the school district, wrote in an affidavit.
Johnson argued that the release of the footage could violate student privacy rights and reveal security-related information about the school facilities.
The day the footage was published, an attorney for the board of education emailed the news outlet’s founder and editor, Charlie Kratovil, demanding that he immediately remove the video, lest the matter be brought before a judge. The attorney also asked Kratovil to disclose how he obtained the footage.
Kratovil refused.
A case was filed with the Superior Court for Middlesex County the following day, asking for the removal of the footage and to restrain the newspaper “from any and all future postings of confidential school security/surveillance video” from schools in the district.
Superior Court Judge Thomas McCloskey temporarily granted the district’s requests during an emergency hearing May 29, additionally stipulating from the bench that even publishing descriptions of what was seen in the video would violate his order.
Attorneys representing New Brunswick Today filed a request June 5 to appeal the order and have the restraints lifted, but the state’s Appellate Division denied their request, stating that they had not filed a motion to dissolve the restraints with the lower court. The paper’s attorneys filed such a request with the Superior Court on June 10.
“The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly made it clear that prior restraints are the least tolerable infringement on First Amendment rights,” they wrote. “Ordering content to be removed from the internet and enjoining future publications are unequivocally prior restraints that must be analyzed under the prior restraint doctrine, which this Court ignored.”
The parties are not scheduled to appear until July 7 to argue whether the court should order permanent restraints on the newspaper and whether the temporary restraints should be dissolved.
But in a June 11 letter to the judge, the newspaper’s attorney Bruce Rosen asked that the hearing be moved to June 15. He argued that the delay violated the judge’s own order stipulating that the motion could be heard within three business days, as well as the Appellate Division’s decision, which requires that it be heard “expeditiously.”
After the judge again refused to hear the matter sooner, Rosen filed emergency motions June 12 with both the Appellate Division and, when that too was denied, the New Jersey Supreme Court. He asked that the prior restraint be lifted while the motion to dismiss is pending or that the motion be heard the week of June 15.
A portion of the May 29, 2026, order placing a prior restraint on New Brunswick Today and compelling the New Jersey newspaper to unpublish footage on its YouTube channel from a school surveillance system.
","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":"pending","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":[],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Prior Restraint"],"targeted_journalists":["Charlie Kratovil (New Brunswick Today)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"State police pull photographer from news car during New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/state-police-pull-photographer-from-news-car-during-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-03T13:13:37.531000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-03T13:23:39.625255Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-03T13:23:39.502730Z","date":"2026-05-29","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"A photojournalist for WNBC TV was pulled out of a news vehicle by New Jersey State Police while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
In a video report from the scene, WNBC reporter Checkey Beckford said that at around 10 p.m., state police in riot gear started moving in to push the crowd back, eventually deploying a chemical irritant.
Beckford and two photojournalists — both of whom were wearing press credentials — were sitting in their news vehicle, with the WNBC placard in the window.
“We thought we were in a safe area. We moved away from the main protest area and thought we would be fine. And then when state police started moving in, in riot gear, we thought we would stay in the vehicle because we didn’t want to deal with tear gas,” Beckford reported.
Beckford said that troopers “pulled one of the photojournalists in my car out and ordered myself and another photojournalist to get out of the car. We did that, started running, we were in the middle of tear gas.”
She added, “We had masks on, but they didn’t really do much to help us, and so we ran through tear gas and continued running until we were able to get out of it.”
NBC New York/YouTube
\n \nThe New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
In a statement posted to X early May 30, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.
WNBC’s Checkey Beckford reports from an immigration protest in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026. That night, state police pulled a photojournalist from her team out of a news car and forced the three-person crew to run through tear gas.
","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","immigration","protest"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Unidentified photojournalist 47 (WNBC)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist hit by crowd-control munitions at immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-by-crowd-control-munitions-at-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-17T21:01:08.310342Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-17T21:01:08.310342Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-17T21:01:08.193609Z","date":"2026-05-29","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Independent photojournalist Josh Pacheco was shoved and targeted with chemical irritant spray and crowd-control munitions by law enforcement while covering protests outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Pacheco told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they were covering protests outside the facility May 29, the day that saw the first involvement of New Jersey State Patrol officers.
“The whole point of sending in the police was to minimize aggression and violence,” they said. “And it didn’t minimize anything, it just changed faces.”
The photojournalist said that they were repeatedly shoved and targeted with pepper spray, which became embedded in their hair. “Anytime that my hair brushed against my face, I was coughing.”
As state troopers launched gas canisters and fired 40 mm projectiles toward the crowd, Pacheco said they decided to move back from the active front line, along with several other journalists. Once the group made it across from the entrance to Delaney Hall, they found themselves targeted again: this time by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“ICE officers were firing pepper balls and rubber bullets at us from the entrance further back,” Pacheco said. “There were three or four of us, and I was like, ‘OK, done with this. Take it back now, y’all.’ And that’s when we’d get fired at again.”
The photojournalist said the group was forced back and forth by the different law enforcement agencies multiple times.
“Clearly they don’t want us documenting what they’re doing,” Pacheco said, “and at the same time they don’t care how violent they’re going to be, even though we’re going to get it on camera.”
The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
In a statement posted to X early May 30, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.
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.”
New Jersey State Police officers, at rear with riot shields, spray irritants at protesters and press gathered outside a detention center in Newark on May 29, 2026. Photojournalist Josh Pacheco was sprayed and shot at with crowd-control munitions.
","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","shot / shot at"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Josh Pacheco (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Reporter knocked down by police, fired at with flash bang at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-knocked-down-by-police-fired-at-with-flash-bang-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-11T18:30:16.646015Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-11T18:30:16.646015Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-11T18:30:16.552065Z","date":"2026-05-29","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Independent journalist Nick Valencia was shoved to the ground by a police officer and targeted with a crowd-control munition while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Valencia, a former CNN correspondent, was wearing a jacket marking himself as a member of the press while covering the May 29 protest. After authorities issued dispersal orders, Valencia recorded interactions between law enforcement and demonstrators.
He said he repeatedly asked officers where members of the press could position themselves to continue documenting the protest but received no clear guidance. One commanding officer told him that everyone — including journalists — was subject to the dispersal orders.
“They were not acknowledging me when I said I was press,” Valencia later told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
In a video he posted on Facebook, Valencia, who was wearing a gas mask, violently chokes after chemical irritants were sprayed into the air. He can also be clearly heard shouting, “I’m press! I’m press!” as officers with shields push through the crowd. He tells one officer, “I’m independent media. I’m allowed to be here.”
As state police moved to clear the area, Valencia remained out of the way, on a public sidewalk. He described on video as officers pushed demonstrators and mounted police advanced into the crowd.
At one point, a flash-bang device was fired directly toward Valencia and exploded nearby. “I don’t know how I wasn’t hit,” he told the Tracker. Minutes later, he was shoved to the ground by a state police officer in riot gear while he was documenting an arrest.
“I do believe I was deliberately targeted,” Valencia said. “There’s no way they could have mistaken me for anyone else other than a member of the press.”
The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
In a statement posted to X early May 30, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.
Journalist Nick Valencia reporting outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center on May 28, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey. At a protest the next day, he was shoved by police and targeted with a flash-bang grenade.
","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","immigration","protest","shot / shot at"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["Nick Valencia (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist injured by crowd-control munition at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-injured-by-crowd-control-munition-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-02T18:01:44.694034Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-02T18:01:44.694034Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-02T18:01:44.557618Z","date":"2026-05-29","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was shoved by state police and targeted with crowd-control munitions, one of which burned his hand, while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
Delgado told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that after dark on May 29, it became clear that New Jersey State Police had taken the lead in responding to the protest. Officers began pushing back demonstrators, as well as Delgado and other media, deploying tear gas and patrolling on horseback.
“Things escalated pretty fast,” he said. “I could tell they were not happy we were there, and they were just trying to make it difficult for the press.”
At one point, Delgado and a colleague were standing on the sidelines when an officer threw a flash-bang device at them. It exploded between them, he said. As they were pulling back, another officer made eye contact with Delgado and then shot a smoke grenade at his left hand.
“That was, without a doubt, intentional,” Delgado said.
Delgado drove himself to the emergency room, where he was treated for minor burns on three fingers and more serious second-degree burns on two others. Delgado said he’s still working, but the blisters from the burns on his pointer and middle finger make it harder.
In the days leading up to the May 29 protest, Delgado was also pepper-sprayed and shoved by ICE officers.
The state police did not return a request for comment.
In a statement posted to X that night, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.
A state police officer fires a pepper ball during an immigration protest in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026. Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was struck with a crowd-control munition while documenting the protest, injuring his hand.
","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":["immigration","protest","shot / shot at"],"politicians_or_public_figures_involved":[],"authors":[],"categories":["Assault"],"targeted_journalists":["David \"Dee\" Delgado (Reuters)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photographer requires stitches after baton strike at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-requires-stitches-after-baton-strike-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-03T16:19:41.425803Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-03T16:19:41.425803Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-03T16:19:41.317758Z","date":"2026-05-28","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Photojournalist Ryan Murphy required stitches after a federal officer hit his hand with a baton, slicing open his finger, while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 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 he was photographing clashes between ICE officers and protesters when he turned away to capture an image of a demonstrator being pepper-sprayed in the face.
“Out of nowhere, I was just hit with a baton in my left hand,” Murphy said. “I can say I was clearly identified as press, and I’m pretty sure that he saw that and knew that.”
Murphy, who was on assignment for Reuters, said the baton struck him on the hand holding his camera flash, sending the equipment roughly 20 feet across the street. Although the flash sustained only cosmetic damage, Murphy realized his hand had taken the brunt of the blow. Blood rushed down his arm, and his middle finger suffered a deep cut. Colleagues provided Murphy with first aid before he drove himself to the hospital, where he received several stitches.
Earlier in the day, Murphy said an ICE agent kicked his flash while it was on the ground. He also recalled being struck on the back of his elbow, though he was unsure what caused the impact, and said an officer pointed a stun gun at him.
The injury has made it difficult for Murphy to continue working.
“My hand is not very useful at the moment,” he said. The day before, he was also hit with a baton and pepper-sprayed.
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 push back protesters at a protest outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photojournalist Ryan Murphy’s hand was struck with a baton 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":["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 struck with baton, lens destroyed at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-baton-lens-destroyed-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-04T12:58:09.103544Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-04T12:58:09.103544Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-04T12:58:08.970890Z","date":"2026-05-28","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Mostafa Bassim, a photojournalist for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, was struck with a baton by a federal officer, damaging his camera lens, while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 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 told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he arrived at the detention facility shortly before nightfall. He said that even before he was able to start documenting the scene, federal officers noticed his camera and began shining high-powered lights directly at him.
“The second they see you with a camera they just start doing that to you,” Bassim said.
The protests, he said, had a consistent pattern: a period of calm until vehicles tried to exit the facility. Protesters would attempt to block the cars from leaving and to see whether any detainees were being moved; Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would advance to push back the demonstrators and make arrests.
“Then it’s calm again for an hour or so and then clashes again,” he told the Tracker. But that night, he added, officers were particularly aggressive.
“From the first time they started clashing with people — and they pepper-sprayed a lot of people — they would specifically pepper-spray the camera or the vent, if you’re wearing a gas mask,” Bassim said.
During the second clash, officers continued to spray chemical irritants at the crowd and strike people with batons. As things calmed, Bassim said, the ICE officers near him began to move back.
“I was looking at the other side to see if there’s still something going on on the other side of the line,” Bassim told the Tracker. “And then one of the agents just took a step toward me. He took one swing and it was at the camera. It hit the lens and it was cut in half.”
The photojournalist said he stood in shock for several seconds, having automatically held up his press credentials.
“I have this automatic response when I see them trying to attack us or talk to us: I just hold my press badge to make it clear that I’m press,” Bassim said. “So I did that for a second and then I was like, ‘He can see it, you know? Like, he clearly just took one swing at the camera, he meant to do that.’”
Bassim told the Tracker he asked the officer what he was doing, to which the officer simply responded with an order to move back and a gesture threatening to hit him again.
The damaged lens was a 24mm prime lens, which Bassim estimates will cost $1,500 to replace.
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.”
Mostafa Bassim, a photojournalist for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, photographed his destroyed lens after a federal officer struck him with a baton while he was covering protests outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 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":"law enforcement","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":[{"quantity":1,"equipment":"camera lens"},{"quantity":1,"equipment":"camera lens"}],"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","Equipment Damage"],"targeted_journalists":["Mostafa Bassim (Anadolu Agency [Turkey])"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist struck with baton, flash damaged by federal officer","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-baton-flash-damaged-by-federal-officer/","first_published_at":"2026-06-11T14:40:28.459917Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-11T14:40:28.459917Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-11T14:40:28.353613Z","date":"2026-05-28","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 sprayed with chemical irritants and hit with a baton by federal officers, damaging their camera flash, while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 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 covering protests outside the facility that day. The photographer noted that they were sprayed with a chemical irritant, but could not say whether they had been deliberately targeted.
While they were standing alongside fellow photographers Mostafa Bassim and Ryan Murphy, they said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers charged them.
“All three of us were hit in the same rush,” the photojournalist said. “An agent came and aimed at our cameras. He hit the top of my camera, and smashed and broke my flash transmitter with his baton.”
The photojournalist told the Tracker he believes the same officer struck Murphy’s hand, sending his flash flying and causing a deep gash in his middle finger, while a second sliced Bassim’s lens in half.
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 form a line in front of protesters outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. An officer struck a photojournalist’s camera with a baton that day, damaging their flash.
","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":"law enforcement","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":[{"quantity":1,"equipment":"camera equipment"}],"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","Equipment Damage"],"targeted_journalists":["Anonymous photojournalist 10 (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photojournalist rammed by federal officer at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-rammed-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-09T14:58:28.049478Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-09T14:58:28.049478Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-09T14:58:27.917140Z","date":"2026-05-28","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Freelance photojournalist Madison Swart was shoved to the ground by a federal officer while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 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 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.
“So it was a lot of waiting and then, all of a sudden, they got the order, so they all whipped out their batons — the dramatic kind where you flick it and it extends long,” she said, referring to expandable batons. “That’s when you know that they’re going to move forward.”
Swart said she was standing to the side, far from the protesters, and had been in roughly the same position for nearly an hour, while clearly identifiable as a member of the press, when an officer singled her out.
“There was just one agent who got his baton and then full-force rammed into me, and I fell to the floor,” she said. “I’ve never had that happen before. I’ve never fallen in the field.”
She told the Tracker she believes it was deliberate.
“I don’t know if it was because I was using flash or because he knew who I was,” she told the Tracker. “They knew my presence was there, I made it pretty obvious.”
She said that she stayed on the ground for a second in shock, nervous that the camera sitting on her hip may have broken.
“Then another agent came over to me, grabbed me and brought me up, and asked if I was OK,” Swart 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.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stand off against protesters outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. An officer shoved freelance photojournalist Madison Swart to the ground 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":["Madison Swart (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photographer jostled by officer at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-jostled-by-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-04T17:47:13.369495Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-04T17:47:13.369495Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-04T17:47:13.235770Z","date":"2026-05-28","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 28, 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 told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as ICE tried to clear the path for law enforcement vehicles to leave the facility, he was pushed out of the way. He was also pinned up against a car as he photographed protesters.
“It seemed to me that it was just because I was in the way,” said Ackman, who was wearing press credentials at the time. “It didn’t seem like anyone was targeting me because I had a camera.”
A couple of days earlier, Ackman was shoved by an ICE officer chasing a protester and hit with pepper spray in his eyes.
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 an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photojournalist Ben Ackman was shoved 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":"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":["Ben Ackman (Freelance)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Reporter pushed aside by federal officers at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-pushed-aside-by-federal-officers-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-16T20:43:12.420209Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-16T20:43:12.420209Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-16T20:43:12.297136Z","date":"2026-05-28","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Independent reporter Yaakov Strasberg was shoved out of the way by federal officers while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 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.
While covering the protest on May 28, Strasberg said his interactions with law enforcement were generally uneventful. However, he told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that an officer pushed him while police were moving through a crowd.
Strasberg, who primarily posts videos to YouTube and X, said he was standing among demonstrators at the time, rather than off to the side, and speculated that may have contributed to the encounter.
“Still, I had my press badge on, so it’s not hard to identify me,” Strasberg 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 during an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Independent reporter Yaakov Strasberg was shoved by an officer while documenting 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":"unknown","charged_under_espionage_act":false,"subpoena_type":null,"name_of_business":null,"third_party_business":null,"legal_order_venue":null,"status_of_prior_restraint":null,"mistakenly_released_materials":false,"links":[],"equipment_seized":[],"equipment_broken":[],"state":{"name":"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":["Yaakov Strasberg (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photographer hit with baton by federal officer at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-hit-with-baton-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-12T16:29:08.047981Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-12T16:29:08.047981Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-12T16:22:00.471986Z","date":"2026-05-28","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Independent photographer Graham MacIndoe was struck in the chest with a baton by a federal officer while documenting protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
MacIndoe told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was documenting confrontations between protesters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with the officers pushing people back using batons and pepper spray, and protesters continuing to push forward.
He was wearing a press ID and shouted “Press” every time an officer approached him, he said.
At one point, one officer hit the photographer multiple times in the chest with a baton, yelling at him to move back.
“He banged me in the chest, really hard, two or three times, and I was totally winded, and it was very painful,” he said. “I didn’t really feel it as much until later, and then the next day I was like, ‘Wow, this is brutal.’”
He added that an ICE officer also doused him with pepper spray that he fired indiscriminately. “I had goggles on and a mask, but that stuff goes everywhere.”
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 wields a baton at a group of photojournalists covering a protest outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photographer Graham MacIndoe was struck in the chest with a baton that night.
","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":["Graham MacIndoe (Independent)"],"subpoena_statuses":null,"type_of_denial":[]},{"title":"Photographer pushed, hit with pepper spray at New Jersey immigration protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-pushed-hit-with-pepper-spray-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-02T17:19:02.355000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-03T21:12:33.631431Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-03T21:12:33.500842Z","date":"2026-05-28","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was shoved by federal officers and pepper-sprayed while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 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 told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he believed ICE was targeting journalists outside Delaney Hall on May 28.
“They were talking amongst themselves, and they would point out photographers and journalists,” Delgado said. At one point, an officer recognized Delgado and remarked that he followed him on Instagram. “It felt like it was more of a threat than anything, just ‘we know who you are’ type of situation.”
Officers swung batons, broke his colleagues’ camera gear, and pushed him and other members of the media. While Delgado was photographing a confrontation between ICE officers and protesters trying to block law enforcement vehicles from leaving the facility, he said an officer pepper-sprayed him.
“He made eye contact with me and sprayed me,” said Delgado, who was on assignment for Reuters and wearing press credentials.
Delgado said the spray irritated his exposed skin, but he was more prepared than on May 26, when he was also pepper-sprayed. The next day, on May 29, Delgado was 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.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent sprays chemical irritant during an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photographer 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 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":"Photojournalist, other press targeted with chemical irritant at New Jersey protest","url":"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-other-press-targeted-with-chemical-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/","first_published_at":"2026-06-08T21:29:55.070000Z","last_published_at":"2026-06-09T18:15:32.091879Z","latest_revision_created_at":"2026-06-09T18:15:31.908860Z","date":"2026-05-26","exact_date_unknown":false,"city":"Newark","longitude":-74.17237,"latitude":40.73566,"body":"NurPhoto Agency 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 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 of 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":[]}]