US Senator Pepper-Sprayed During Protest at New Jersey Detention Center

Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) arrived at the facility to mediate between federal agents and demonstrators concerned that hunger strikers were being secretly transferred. Kim described the scene as chaotic, noting that instead of dialogue, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deployed armored vehicles and fired chemical irritants into the crowd. The senator, who attempted to de-escalate the confrontation by stepping between the two groups, later required first aid after direct exposure to the spray.

The Department of Homeland Security defended the tactical response, labeling the protesters as dangerous rioters and denying that any individuals were directly struck by projectiles. Meanwhile, families of the detainees and the ACLU of New Jersey have raised persistent alarms regarding the facility, which is operated by the GEO Group under a $1 billion federal contract. Reports from inside describe a lack of air conditioning, medical neglect, and spoiled meals, conditions Kim labeled a failure of the current administration.