Photojournalist, other press targeted with chemical irritant at New Jersey protest

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.”