ICE Uses Pepper Spray on Protesters as Demonstrations Continue Outside NJ Detention Facility

Protesters clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in New Jersey on Tuesday, as weekend demonstrations have extended into the week.

The Cause: Demonstrators have protested the conditions in which detainees are reportedly being kept. Earlier in May, nearly 300 people, including over 50 women, authored and signed an open letter in Spanish that claimed seriously ill and malnourished detainees have not been given the right care or opportunities to speak to their families. This was not widely covered by mainstream media at the time. Fox News (Right bias) highlighted this in its coverage.

Democrat Maced: On Monday, ICE agents "fired pepper balls at protesters" according to nj.com (Lean Left), and Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) was among those affected by the "cloud of pepper spray." Videos circulated online of Kim having water poured into his eyes afterward. Several outlets from the left and center highlighted this in headlines, with most of them saying Kim was directly "pepper-sprayed" by agents. AllSides found two outlets from the right that wrote headlines around Kim being "pepper-sprayed," The Washington Examiner (Lean Right) and Daily Caller (Right). Fox News included ample context on Kim's role in the demonstrations and discussions with ICE, though it did not mention that he was affected by the spray.

For Context: Hundreds of detainees inside the facility have reportedly been on a hunger and labor strike since the weekend, according to their lawyers. President Trump's utilization of ICE and deportation efforts has been one of the more controversial issues with many mainstream outlets and many top Democrats since he took office last January.

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