Andy Kim pepper-sprayed by ICE at Newark detention protest

U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) was pepper-sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Monday as he tried to defuse a confrontation between federal officers and demonstrators outside a Newark immigrant detention center.

Kim, 43, was among protesters gathered outside Delaney Hall where detainees have mounted a hunger strike over conditions inside the privately run facility. He said he positioned himself between the crowd and the agents after officers moved to push demonstrators back from the building, then deployed chemical irritants. “My eyes were hurting, my throat was burning,” he told WPVI.

Videos of the aftermath show Kim having his eyes flushed by medics after the spray. He said he was also struck in the hand by an object during the clash. For its part, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an X post said “rioters” had blocked the exit route and ignored orders to move.

After initially being denied entry, Kim was allowed inside but was disturbed by what he saw. In an X thread, he recalled seeing about-to-expire milk that had congealed, a woman who had a miscarriage and was left to fend for herself, and people who were arrested at scheduled interviews for green cards, among others.

However, DHS defended its operations in a news release, saying detainees receive three meals a day, clean water and access to medical, dental and mental health services. Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who was denied access to the facility, also joined Kim in calling for Delaney Hall to be closed.

Kim, the first Korean American elected to the Senate, has made immigration oversight central to his work. His presence at Delaney Hall placed an Asian American lawmaker at the center of a national flashpoint over enforcement tactics. As we have been reporting, Asian immigrants remain a substantial and growing share of detained populations, and advocates have long warned that language barriers and limited access to counsel leave many detainees unable to assert claims.

Kim says he is concerned detainees are being denied due process. He plans to introduce amendments and legislation on detention issues as Congress continues to debate immigration policy.