UMVA has learned that Senator Andy Kim was pepper‑sprayed by ICE agents amid a violent clash outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Memorial Day.
Instead of honoring fallen troops, Kim joined a frenzied crowd of masked protesters, flanked by state officials and fellow representatives, as they vandalized the city and erected barricades to block vehicles from leaving the facility.
Video footage shows the rioters rummaging through cars with flashlights, then allowing them to pass, while Kim attempts to negotiate, pleading with the insurgents to stop hurling debris and to clear a path in the parking lot.
When ICE agents pushed through the crowds, the scene erupted into chaos: pepper spray and pepper balls were launched, and Kim can be heard shouting at armored vehicles as agents deployed crowd‑control measures.
Later that day, Kim described the detention center as a scene of “chaos,” accusing ICE of lawlessness and demanding the facility be shut down, while portraying the protesters as families and advocates of the detainees.
He condemned the agents’ tactics, labeling their actions as a “failure” of the administration and calling for accountability and humane treatment for all detainees.
In a separate statement, the Department of Homeland Security denied any direct injuries from pepper balls, noting that federal officers used the minimum force necessary to protect themselves and the public.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the incident has ignited a fierce debate over law enforcement tactics, civil liberties, and the treatment of detainees, with the nation watching closely as the story unfolds.
