{"id":2999,"date":"2026-05-26T13:39:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/26\/us-senator-says-he-was-pepper-sprayed-by-federal-agents-during-protest-at-ice-facility\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:39:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:39:39","slug":"us-senator-says-he-was-pepper-sprayed-by-federal-agents-during-protest-at-ice-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2999","title":{"rendered":"US senator says he was pepper sprayed by federal agents during protest at ICE facility"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"c072787f-7c42-4231-9d28-35f2ed642392\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man in a suit stands among law enforcement agents\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/2dff5aca4ea8b632041a0f9c845d66d9e932a740\/0_0_8192_5464\/master\/8192.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310.1513671875\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Senator Andy Kim  attempts to broker an agreement between ICE agents and pro-immigration activists outside the Delaney Hall detention center on 25 May 2026 in Newark, New Jersey.<\/span> Photograph: Andrew Lichtenstein\/Corbis\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"c072787f-7c42-4231-9d28-35f2ed642392\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Senator Andy Kim  attempts to broker an agreement between ICE agents and pro-immigration activists outside the Delaney Hall detention center on 25 May 2026 in Newark, New Jersey.<\/span> Photograph: Andrew Lichtenstein\/Corbis\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">US senator says he was pepper sprayed by federal agents during protest at ICE facility<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Democrat Andy Kim says he saw \u2018chaos\u2019 at the New Jersey ICE facility amid \u2018standoff\u2019 between protesters and agents<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Andy Kim, a Democratic senator, said he was pepper sprayed by federal agents on Monday during a protest at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/new-jersey\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">New Jersey<\/a> detention facility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Video <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DYx6GSVJk4Y\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">posted on social media<\/a> showed Kim receiving help from a volunteer who is seen pouring water in his eyes outside Delaney Hall in Newark, where detainees are reportedly staging a <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7ny.com\/post\/protesters-clash-ice-agents-outside-delaney-hall-amid-hunger-strike-2-lawmakers-visit-scene\/19166948\/?ex_cid=TA_WABC_FB\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">hunger strike<\/a> against poor conditions and denial of medical care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Demonstrators clashed with immigration officers who used batons and pepper spray as they attempted to transfer a detainee who organized the hunger strike to another facility.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"59c07ff7-1ced-4537-b393-1e29b81c4245\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-vshhea\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/25\/new-jersey-ice-immigration-protest\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Protesters clash with ICE agents outside New Jersey detention center <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Kim, a senator for New Jersey, joined the state\u2019s governor, Mikie Sherrill, at the protest to speak with relatives of some of those detained. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2026\/05\/25\/andy-kim-pepper-sprayed-after-visiting-new-jersey-ice-detention-center\/90255993007\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told USA Today<\/a> that the incident in which he was sprayed by a chemical substance came shortly after he had been inside Delaney Hall to see conditions for himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He said he emerged to a \u201cstandoff\u201d between protesters and agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who he said had deployed an armored vehicle as a barricade, and that he \u201ckind of lined up in front of them\u201d to try to de-escalate the situation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cICE officials told me that they were going to push through the crowd with their vehicle and they wanted to get some vehicles out of there,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI tried to arrange a situation where people would not get hurt, where there wouldn\u2019t be a confrontation. Unfortunately, ICE just continued on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">People were \u201cgetting tackled and brought to the ground\u201d and ICE \u201cstarted pushing through with their vehicles\u201d and \u201cstarted shooting at us with pepper balls and using pepper spray\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI tried to do whatever I could standing in the middle to keep people safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenatorAndyKim\/status\/2059090575261859913?s=20\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a post<\/a> on X, Kim said he saw \u201cchaos inside and outside\u201d of the facility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cInstead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWhat I witnessed and experienced today was shameful. Delaney Hall is a failure; it\u2019s this administration\u2019s failure. The only way to make this right for our communities is to shut it down and make sure the failures we\u2019ve seen never happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Demonstrators have been at Delaney Hall since Friday, alleging detainees have been denied fresh food and medical care, and that air conditioning was not working.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Tensions escalated during Sunday when word spread that authorities were planning to move Martin Soto, a detainee who announced the strike, to another facility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said Monday \u201cagitators\u201d had blocked the agency\u2019s initial attempt to move him, but that he had been successfully transferred to the Elizabeth contract detention facility about seven miles away \u201clater in the evening\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Violence continued through the early hours. At about 1am Monday, ICE agents blocked the roadway along Delaney Hall\u2019s back gate, Gothamist<a href=\"https:\/\/gothamist.com\/news\/congressmember-denied-entry-to-nj-ice-detention-facility-protestors-clash-with-officers\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> reported<\/a>, seemingly to let out vehicles. Demonstrators confronted ICE agents and some tried blocking their vehicles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">ICE agents allegedly responded by clearing the area with force, pushing them on to sidewalks and shoving them into parked cars, Gothamist said. The website reported that at least one demonstrator was pepper-sprayed and one suffered a leg injury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Several other Democratic politicians, including Sherrill and the congressman Rob Menendez, were at the demonstration earlier in the day on Monday, but not present when Kim was sprayed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The senator told USA Today on Monday night that his eyes and throat were still burning. He said he would continue to fight the \u201clawlessness and unaccountability perpetuated by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Trump administration<\/a> and Republicans in Congress\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">DHS in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DHSgov\/status\/2059110483928486057\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">post on X<\/a>, blamed \u201crioters\u201d for the violence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cNo individuals were directly struck by pepper ball projectiles,\u201d the post said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cOn May 25, 2026, rioters obstructed law enforcement from exiting the ICE facility. Officers issued multiple lawful verbal commands for rioters to clear the area. Rioters refused to follow law enforcement commands and continue to obstruct the exit route. Our law enforcement followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly \u2013 not rioting. DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Monday\u2019s violence came amid stalled efforts by the Trump administration to pass a $70bn funding measure for ICE and border patrol. Senate Republicans last week <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/21\/senate-republicans-to-ditch-trump-ballroom-funding\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">derailed the bill<\/a>, at least temporarily, in a dispute over Donald Trump\u2019s plans for a White House ballroom and the creation of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/20\/jan-6-police-sue-trump-anti-weaponization-fund\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">$1.8bn \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund<\/a> that could enrich January 6 rioters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Kim, meanwhile, is the latest Democratic senator to have experienced violence for challenging Trump\u2019s immigration policies. In June last year, the California senator Alex Padilla was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jun\/12\/los-angeles-protests-alex-padilla-kristi-noem\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">handcuffed and bundled out<\/a> of a press conference in Los Angeles as he tried to question Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary at the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/ice-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/new-jersey\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">New Jersey<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/usimmigration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/protests--us-\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Protest (US)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=US%20senator%20says%20he%20was%20pepper%20sprayed%20by%20federal%20agents%20during%20protest%20at%20ICE%20facility&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/26\/senator-pepper-sprayed-ice-facility-protest-new-jersey?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F26%2Fsenator-pepper-sprayed-ice-facility-protest-new-jersey&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/26\/senator-pepper-sprayed-ice-facility-protest-new-jersey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Andy Kim attempts to broker an agreement between ICE agents and pro-immigration activists outside the Delaney Hall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}