Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said he was pepper-sprayed Monday as tensions boiled over outside Delaney Hall, a privately run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, where protesters have gathered for days demanding better conditions for detainees.

Kim, who was joined by Gov. Mikie Sherrill and several Democratic House members for what they called an oversight visit, described the scene as volatile. Videos showed mutual aid volunteers pouring water into his eyes as he held an ice pack.

The senator accused ICE agents of escalating the situation by deploying an armored vehicle, firing pepper balls and spray into the crowd, and tackling demonstrators.

No individuals were directly struck by pepper ball projectiles.

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… https://t.co/gNACHGgItm

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 26, 2026

“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,” Kim wrote on X.

“What I witnessed and experienced today was shameful,” he added. “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.”

The visit occurred amid protests claiming that approximately 300 detainees launched a hunger and work strike over food quality, lack of due process, and poor treatment.

Protesters and elected officials were denied initial access to the facility, though a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Kim was eventually allowed inside after he personally called DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Mullin dismissed the demonstrators’ claims as a “political stunt,” reiterating that there is no hunger strike at Delaney Hall and that detainees receive regular meals and care.

“What we saw here is unfortunately just what we see all over the country,” Kim told NJ.com. “It’s sad, it’s a sad day.”