Videographer Theoren Papp was tackled to the ground and arrested while documenting a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 31, 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.
Papp told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the May 31 protest began to escalate just after the city’s 9 p.m. curfew. New Jersey State Police formed a line and began pushing the crowd back with their riot shields. As officers moved forward, Papp shifted from the front of the protest line to the side of the road and continued filming from an embankment.
He said police eventually directed him into the police kettle that surrounded demonstrators and prevented them from leaving. Once the crowd was contained, an officer announced that journalists with credentials could leave.
Papp showed officers his Level 12 Media badge. One officer initially told him he could leave, but another refused, saying his credentials needed to be verified.
“They acted more with indifference and kind of grouped journalists in with the protesters,” Papp said.
Papp continued livestreaming while waiting for officers to process press credentials, but ended the stream shortly before his arrest to secure his equipment. He removed his phone from a tripod, placed his gear on the ground and raised his hands.
“Two officers dragged me, threw me on the ground and zip-tied my hands behind my back,” Papp said. Papp immediately told officers the restraints were too tight, but said he received no response from them. The zip ties remained on for about four hours, said Papp, who experienced limited mobility in his right hand for several days and still had bruising on his wrists more than a week later.
“They were on there as about as tight as they could pull them,” Papp said.
While Papp was being taken into custody, officers also threw his tripod across the street, removed his gas mask from his bag and confiscated his other equipment. While his confiscated gear was later returned, he has not recovered his lost tripod or gas mask.
Papp said his experience with law enforcement on May 31 has changed how he approaches covering protests.
“I’m definitely more cautious about getting close to any police action,” he said. “I’m a little more hesitant about getting in there to get quality footage.”
Papp and at least two other journalists were taken to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, operated by the sheriff’s office, and released the following day.
According to Papp, the New Jersey State Police made the arrest, while Newark police are listed as filing the charges. He was initially charged with rioting and resisting arrest. Prosecutors later reduced the rioting charge to failure to disperse and dropped the resisting arrest charge. His next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 18.
The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
In a statement posted to X on May 31, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police cleared the area outside Delaney Hall because a group of people refused to leave after the curfew order. She did not address the use of force against or arrest of members of the press.
This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.