Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) was pepper-sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers Monday during a protest outside Delaney Hall, an immigration detention facility in Newark, N.J., where roughly 300 migrants are conducting a hunger and work strike against conditions inside the center.
Kim joined New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) and Democratic Reps. Rob Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Nellie Pou at the facility for an oversight visit. Videos circulating online showed mutual aid volunteers pouring water into Kim's eyes as he held an ice pack on his face. The senators said they witnessed ICE agents tackle and restrain demonstrators while deploying pepper balls and spray.
What the Right Is Saying
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin posted on X that "there was no hunger strike" occurring at Delaney Hall, calling the Democratic officials' visit a "political stunt." A DHS spokesperson said Kim was permitted to enter the facility after he made a direct call to Mullin. The spokesperson did not confirm whether Sherrill or the other lawmakers were granted access.
The administration has defended conditions at federal detention facilities and emphasized that ICE officers are tasked with enforcing immigration law and maintaining safety at detention centers. Officials have noted that detainees have access to legal resources and that facilities undergo regular oversight inspections.
What the Left Is Saying
Kim described conditions inside and outside the facility in a post on X, writing that detainees are protesting "the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment." He said ICE responded by sending an armored vehicle and armed agents. "What I witnessed and experienced today was shameful," Kim wrote. "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."
Kim told NJ.com that he saw ICE agents tackle demonstrators and use batons to disperse crowds. "What we saw here is unfortunately just what we see all over the country," he said. "It's sad, it's a sad day." He told the New Jersey Globe it was difficult to breathe after being sprayed.
Gov. Sherrill and Reps. Menendez, McIver, and Pou said they were denied entry when they initially arrived at the facility. Gabriela Soto, an organizer whose husband has been detained at Delaney Hall since February, told The City that "the people inside Delaney Hall are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and members of our community." She added: "In New Jersey, we believe in the rule of law and that everyone deserves to be treated with basic dignity. We have a duty to safeguard the rights, health, and well-being of everyone within our borders."
Protesters have gathered outside the facility since Friday when Soto arrived at the detention center at the start of the hunger and work strike.
What the Numbers Show
Delaney Hall, operated by a private prison company under contract with ICE, currently holds approximately 300 migrants who are participating in the hunger and work strike, according to Kim's account of conditions inside the facility. The protest began Friday when organizers arrived at the detention center, according to reporting by The City.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed that Kim was allowed into the facility following his direct call to Secretary Mullin, though access for other officials remained unclear as of Monday evening. No official data on facility conditions or detainee complaints has been released by ICE or DHS as part of this incident.
The Bottom Line
The confrontation at Delaney Hall highlights ongoing tensions between Democratic lawmakers and the Trump administration over immigration detention policy. Kim's pepper-spraying marks a notable escalation in oversight disputes, with Democrats arguing that conditions at private detention facilities warrant immediate congressional attention and closure. The administration contends the visit was politically motivated rather than genuine oversight.
Kim and other New Jersey Democrats are calling for the facility to be shut down. DHS officials have not announced any changes to operations at Delaney Hall. Whether additional congressional action follows remains to be seen, but the incident has drawn renewed scrutiny to conditions inside immigration detention facilities in New Jersey.