Democratic New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim was allegedly pepper-sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during a Monday protest that turned into civil unrest outside of the Delaney Hall immigration detention center, according to an online video.
The video, shared by Scripps News anchor Veronica De La Cruz, shows a volunteer pouring water into Kim’s eyes following the incident. Kim can also be seen wiping his eyes with a cloth.
“Detainees at Delaney Hall in Newark have been on a hunger strike since Friday. Inside: spoiled food, no medical care, no air conditioning during a heat wave. A pregnant woman denied OB-GYN care. A woman who had a miscarriage left to manage it alone,” De La Cruz wrote in the caption of the video.
However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has pushed back on allegations of lacking medical care.
“ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” the department stated. “It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.”
De La Cruz said Kim showed up to negotiate after protestors formed a human chain to forcibly block ICE vehicles containing detainees from being transferred in and out of the facility. ICE allegedly moved its vehicles and deployed pepper spray and tear gas amid a “breakdown in talks” outside the facility.
She said Kim was standing in the crowd when ICE deployed the pepper spray and tear gas.
I saw chaos inside and outside of the ICE detention center Delaney Hall today. Detainees protesting the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment while their families and advocates stood outside calling for help. Instead of engaging with me and others about the… pic.twitter.com/5XSeZWzoky
— Senator Andy Kim (@SenatorAndyKim) May 26, 2026
Kim described the “chaos” outside Delaney Hall in a Monday post he shared on X.
“I saw chaos inside and outside of the ICE detention center Delaney Hall today. Detainees protesting the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment while their families and advocates stood outside calling for help. Instead 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. Civilians were tackled and restrained, and agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd,” Kim wrote in part. (RELATED: REPORT: Judge Bars Most ICE Arrests At Immigration Courts In Major City)
An alleged hunger strike has been taking place at the facility since May 22, according to The Gothamist. Gabriela Soto, 28, organized the rally in support of her husband, Martin, who has been detained at the facility since February. Soto alleges that staff have threatened her visitation rights, and her husband has been subjected to extended interrogations following protests outside the facility’s gate.
Let’s call this what it was.
Anti-ICE radicals destroying property, blocking federal officers, and defending rapists, murderers, and violent criminals.
This was never a peaceful protest. It was lawlessness. pic.twitter.com/pnDskkZieR
— Congressman Jeff Van Drew (@Congressman_JVD) May 26, 2026
DHS has also disputed that a hunger strike is occurring at Delaney Hall, according to ABC 7 NY.
“This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks. There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall. There are NO subprime conditions or abuse at the facility,” said DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis in a statement. “These sanctuary politicians should be thanking ICE law enforcement for removing murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and drug traffickers from their communities. We need these sanctuary politicians to stop peddling this garbage and cooperate with us to get these criminals out of their state.”
Delaney Hall is a private facility housing around 300 detainees, ABC 7 NY reported.
Besides Sen. Kim, Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill joined the Monday protest outside the detention center, according to the New York Times. Sherrill alleged that she had been denied access to the facility and was continuing to work with federal immigration officials to gain entry, WHYY reported.
A DHS spokesperson said Kim was allowed to gain access to the facility following a call to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, according to The Hill. The spokesperson did not say whether Sherill had been granted access.
The Daily Caller reached out to Sen. Kim’s office for further comment, but had not received a response as of publication.
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