Democratic Senator Andy Kim stated on Monday that he was pepper sprayed by federal agents during a protest at a New Jersey detention facility. The incident occurred outside Delaney Hall in Newark, where detainees are reportedly on a hunger strike to protest poor conditions and denial of medical care.
Details of the Incident
Video footage shared on social media shows Kim receiving aid from a volunteer who poured water into his eyes. Demonstrators had clashed with immigration officers, who used batons and pepper spray while attempting to transfer a detainee who organized the hunger strike to another facility.
Kim, who represents New Jersey, joined Governor Mikie Sherrill at the protest to speak with relatives of detainees. He told USA Today that he was sprayed shortly after leaving Delaney Hall, where he had inspected conditions. He described emerging to a "standoff" between protesters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who had deployed an armored vehicle as a barricade. Kim said he "lined up in front of them" to de-escalate the situation.
"ICE officials told me they were going to push through the crowd with their vehicle, and they wanted to get some vehicles out of there," Kim explained. "I tried to arrange a situation where people would not get hurt, where there wouldn't be a confrontation. Unfortunately, ICE just continued on."
He reported that people were "getting tackled and brought to the ground," and ICE "started pushing through with their vehicles" and "started shooting at us with pepper balls and using pepper spray." Kim added, "I tried to do whatever I could standing in the middle to keep people safe."
Political Reactions
In a post on X, Kim expressed seeing "chaos inside and outside" the facility. "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," he wrote. "What I witnessed and experienced today was shameful. Delaney Hall is a failure; it's this administration's failure. The only way to make this right for our communities is to shut it down and make sure the failures we've seen never happen again."
Demonstrators have been present at Delaney Hall since Friday, alleging detainees have been denied fresh food and medical care, and that air conditioning was not functioning. Tensions escalated on Sunday when word spread that authorities planned to move Martin Soto, a detainee who announced the strike, to another facility.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson stated on Monday that "agitators" had blocked the initial attempt to move Soto, but he was successfully transferred to the Elizabeth contract detention facility, about seven miles away, "later in the evening."
Escalation and Aftermath
Violence continued into the early hours. Around 1 a.m. Monday, ICE agents blocked the roadway along Delaney Hall's back gate, seemingly to allow vehicles to exit, according to Gothamist. Demonstrators confronted ICE agents, and some attempted to block their vehicles. ICE agents allegedly responded by clearing the area with force, pushing protesters onto sidewalks and into parked cars. At least one demonstrator was pepper-sprayed, and one suffered a leg injury.
Several other Democratic politicians, including Sherrill and Congressman Rob Menendez, were at the demonstration earlier on Monday but not present when Kim was sprayed. Kim told USA Today on Monday night that his eyes and throat were still burning. He vowed to continue fighting the "lawlessness and unaccountability perpetuated by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress."
DHS, in a post on X, blamed "rioters" for the violence. "No individuals were directly struck by pepper ball projectiles," the post stated. "On 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 continued 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. The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly – 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."
Broader Context
Monday's violence occurred amid stalled efforts by the Trump administration to pass a $70 billion funding measure for ICE and border patrol. Senate Republicans derailed the bill last week, at least temporarily, in a dispute over Donald Trump's plans for a White House ballroom and the creation of a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund that could enrich January 6 rioters.
Kim is the latest Democratic senator to experience violence for challenging Trump's immigration policies. In June last year, California Senator Alex Padilla was handcuffed and removed from a press conference in Los Angeles while attempting to question then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
