Photographer shoved, pepper-sprayed at New Jersey immigration protest

Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was pushed by federal officers and sprayed with a chemical irritant while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.

Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.

Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.

Delgado, who was on assignment for Reuters, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that ICE officers responded to the May 26 protest with force, particularly when law enforcement vehicles were entering or leaving the facility.

Throughout the evening, he said, officers repeatedly shoved protesters and members of the media, including Delgado, as they tried to control the crowd.

While Delgado was documenting ICE arresting protesters, an officer suddenly hit him with pepper spray.

“He turned around and pointed the mace and sprayed me,” said Delgado, who was wearing press credentials and was clearly marked as press. “It completely stops you from doing the job at the moment.”

Delgado said he was forced to stop working for about 30 minutes while he flushed the pepper spray from his eyes. At least one other journalist was also deliberately pepper-sprayed that night.

Roughly two hours later, he was hit by pepper spray again when an officer deployed the irritant into the crowd, though he said that incident did not appear to target him specifically.

In the following days, Delgado was pepper-sprayed again by ICE and injured by a crowd-control munition fired by a state patrol officer.

In a statement issued May 29, DHS said officers repeatedly ordered protesters to clear the area and that protesters refused, preventing law enforcement from leaving the facility.

“Our law enforcement followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property,” the statement read. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.