ICE Agents Injure 2 Photojournalists and Smash Cameras at Delaney Hall Protest

7 articles · Updated · amNY · May 29

At least 2 photojournalists said ICE agents deliberately struck them during Thursday night clashes outside Newark’s Delaney Hall, with Reuters photographer Ryan Murphy saying a baton blow likely broke his finger.
Murphy said agents aimed for his camera after he photographed a protester being pepper-sprayed; Madison Swart said an agent hit her with a baton and knocked her to the ground while she was backing up.
The confrontation escalated as vehicles left the detention center: agents rushed protesters with batons, used pepper spray repeatedly, and were seen with pepper-ball guns, a Taser and at least one firearm.
The protest has centered on an ongoing detainee hunger strike over living conditions, while demonstrators fear participants could be transferred out in retaliation.
DHS had not responded to requests for comment, and the report noted the agency previously blamed journalists after a 2025 incident involving reporters covering immigrant detentions.

With conflicting reports of violence, what is truly happening to the hunger strikers inside Delaney Hall?

When journalists covering protests are injured, where is the line between maintaining order and protecting press freedom?

Are the increasingly frequent and costly detainee transfers a routine procedure or a deliberate legal tactic?