A U.S. Senator was pepper-sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday. Senator Andy Kim was filmed having his eyes washed out with a bottle of water in a video shared by a reporter on X. The senator subsequently stated that his eyes and throat were “burning” and that his hand hurt following the incident.
Incident Outside Delaney Hall
The incident unfolded outside Delaney Hall in Newark, an immigrant detention facility where inmates had launched a hunger strike to protest conditions. “But what happened was: I came out from Delaney Hall and immediately noticed that there was a tense situation outside,” Kim told a reporter from NJ.com. “ICE had brought out an armored vehicle and then a line of armed officers that were armed up in vests and armed.”
Kim explained that the crowd of protestors formed a line in front of the ICE agents, prompting him to position himself between the two sides to “de-escalate the situation” and prevent a “physical clash.” ICE then informed him they planned to “push through the crowd” to move a vehicle. When the vehicle began to move, Kim ran to place himself between the protesters and ICE agents. “That’s when they started to shoot at us with pepper balls as well as using the pepper spray,” he said. Kim added that ICE agents were “tackling people” amid the chaos.
Governor Joins Protest
Governor Mikie Sherrill also joined the protest on Monday, according to The New York Times. While there, Sherrill heard from families of detainees who complained that their loved ones had been served spoiled and rotten food and received inadequate medical care. The governor told protestors she had requested access to the facility but had been denied. She left before the standoff between ICE agents and protestors erupted.
DHS Response
In a statement on X on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that “no individuals were directly struck by pepper ball projectiles.” The department stated that law enforcement forces were obstructed from exiting the facility and that lawful verbal commands had been issued for rioters to clear the area, which they refused to follow. “Our law enforcement followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property,” the statement continued. “The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly – not rioting.”
Markwayne Mullin, the DHS Secretary, described the incident on X as “nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks.” He added, “There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall. There are no subprime conditions.”
Senator’s Response
Speaking to NJ.com, Kim said he wished Mullin had called him before claiming there was no hunger strike or subprime conditions. “It’s not about just what tactics that they’re using to protest,” he said. “It’s the fact that these conditions are just inhumane, and this system is so broken on so many different fronts.”
