Democratic US Senator Andy Kim said he was pepper-sprayed by federal agents during a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday. Kim had joined the demonstration at Delaney Hall, where detainees are reportedly on hunger strike over poor conditions and denial of medical care.
Video on social media showed Kim receiving aid from a volunteer who poured water into his eyes. Kim told USA Today that he had been inside the facility to inspect conditions and emerged to a 'standoff' between protesters and ICE agents, who had deployed an armoured vehicle as a barricade. He said he tried to de-escalate the situation by lining up in front of the vehicle but that ICE 'just continued on', using pepper balls and spray.
Kim described 'chaos inside and outside' the facility, calling the incident 'shameful' and blaming the administration. He said Delaney Hall is 'a failure' and called for its closure. Protests have been ongoing since Friday, with allegations of rotten food, inadequate medical care, and broken air conditioning.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and fellow Democrat Mikie Sherrill also attended the protest. Sherrill said she had been denied access to the facility. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin denied there was a hunger strike or substandard conditions at Delaney Hall, in a post on X.
Activists claim some detainees have been held for 8-12 months. The facility, reopened last year as an immigration detention centre, is in an industrial area of Newark. On Tuesday, masked ICE officials cleared paths for vehicles entering and exiting the site.
