A prominent photographer, who requested anonymity, had the top of his camera smashed by ICE agents while covering anti-ICE protests outside Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. The incident occurred during clashes between protesters and federal agents over the weekend.
Photographer Madison Swart, a frequent contributor to The New York Times, was deliberately pushed to the ground and struck with a baton by an ICE agent while documenting anti-ICE protests outside Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. Swart was moving back as instructed when an agent shoved her forcefully with a baton, causing her to fall. She reported being in shock over the incident.
Reuters photojournalist Ryan Murphy was struck repeatedly with a baton by ICE agents while covering anti-ICE protests outside Delaney Hall immigration detention center over multiple nights in late May 2026. Murphy says agents deliberately targeted his camera during an incident on Thursday, striking his hand near his flash and breaking a finger. He photographed a protester being bear-sprayed moments before being hit himself.
Approximately 300 immigrants detained at Delaney Hall, a privately operated ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, launched a hunger and labor strike beginning May 25, 2026, to protest conditions including spoiled and expired food, inadequate medical care, overcrowding, filthy bathrooms, lack of hot water, and denial of medical treatment. Detainee Elder Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant, suffered a head injury after slipping in the shower and was placed in isolation rather than receiving proper treatment. Martin Soto, arrested by ICE four months earlier while buying diapers, remained detained despite a judge blocking his removal from the facility. Detainees reported retaliation by facility staff, including beatings, solitary confinement for strikers, and confiscation of personal items. The facility, operated by Community Education Centers, faced scrutiny for a pattern of medical neglect and rights violations, with sustained crowds of protesters gathering outside in solidarity.
Senator Andy Kim visited Delaney Hall, an ICE detention center in Newark, to mediate between protesters and detainees conducting a hunger strike. ICE agents fired tear gas at Kim and demonstrators while the senator stood between them with his arms raised. Kim reported witnessing detained individuals, including an 18-year-old high school student and a woman who had suffered a miscarriage, under poor conditions. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill was denied entry but heard complaints from family members about spoiled food and lack of medical care.
U.S. Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat representing New Jersey, was pepper-sprayed by federal ICE agents on Monday while attempting to de-escalate a confrontation between protesters and law enforcement outside Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark. Kim had entered the facility to observe conditions firsthand and emerged to find ICE agents deploying an armored vehicle as a barricade. He positioned himself between ICE agents and protesters to prevent violence, but ICE officers deployed pepper spray and pepper balls on the crowd. Kim reported that his eyes and throat were still burning hours later. The incident occurred amid ongoing protests against detention conditions at the facility, where detainees reported poor food, lack of medical care, and non-functioning air conditioning.
An ICE enforcement operation targeting the Dover family occurred in a New Jersey residential neighborhood. The Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center documented the incident and issued a statement condemning what they characterize as a violent enforcement action that separated families and created fear in immigrant communities.
A man was detained by ICE while attending his asylum appointment. His wife describes him as hardworking and someone who followed the legal process. The family is now facing legal fees, bond costs, and emotional stress while he remains in detention.
Mojtaba, an Iranian national who fled persecution for his participation in the Women, Life, Freedom movement, was released from ICE detention after 17 months. He won a bond hearing but faced a $35,000 bond set by Immigration Court. Hundreds of individuals and organizations raised the funds to secure his release, and he is now building a life in New Jersey.
Carlos Alborozo was detained by ICE while working in a construction job. His family launched a fundraising campaign to help cover legal expenses and immigration lawyer costs to support his case.
Isidro Cabanas-Reyes, a Mexican national who has resided in the United States since approximately 1997, was arrested by ICE agents on May 15, 2026, while entering his residence after walking his dogs. He is the father of one U.S. citizen son, age 20, who is autistic and currently resides in Mexico, and has U.S. citizen nephews and nieces in the United States. Cabanas-Reyes is a skilled electrician with no criminal convictions and no history of violence or criminal conduct during his nearly three decades of U.S. residence. He was seized without a warrant, without notice, and without an opportunity to contact counsel, and transferred directly to ICE custody at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey, where he has been held since May 15, 2026. A Notice to Appear was issued on or about May 20, 2026, initiating removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking immediate release from custody or an individualized bond hearing, arguing his detention violates his Fifth Amendment due process rights and is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Patricia Balbuena Soto, a 49-year-old mother who had lived in the United States for 30 years, was arrested at her workplace in Atlantic City on July 24, 2025, on criminal charges including home invasion burglary and weapon possession. She was transferred to ICE custody on July 25 and held at Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey, then Port Isabel in Texas. On August 5, 2025, she was deported to Mexico, leaving behind her 17-year-old U.S. citizen daughter. The teenager, an honors student, was forced to abandon her college plans and assume financial responsibility for herself at age 17.
Adam Marshall, a former infantry officer who has volunteered for over a year helping families of detainees, was arrested and briefly detained while serving as a medic for protesters who had been pepper-sprayed outside Delaney Hall in May 2026. Federal agents pushed him to the ground, carried him by his arms and legs into the detention center's courtyard, scanned his face with a mobile application, held him for two hours, then transported him and two other men to an underpass beneath the New Jersey Turnpike where they were lined up against a metal wall with hands above their heads before being told never to return and released.
Sebastian Pasco, a bartender at Cork City Pub in Hoboken who holds a valid green card, was detained by ICE on May 1, 2026, while re-entering the country in Florida. The bar launched a fundraiser to cover his legal expenses while awaiting a hearing for his release.
Three Mexican nationals and a fourth man from Absecon were detained during an ICE enforcement operation in Pleasantville on April 30, 2026, despite not being the intended targets of the action. An immigrant advocacy group stated the detainees were working fathers and husbands without criminal records. All are being held pending removal proceedings.
Ramon Rodriguez-Turcios, a Honduran national with a final removal order, was arrested by ICE agents during a targeted enforcement operation in Pleasantville on April 30, 2026. He was the intended target of the operation and is being held pending removal proceedings.
Juan "Johnny" Cuahutencos Meza, a long-time community member from East Hampton and Brooklyn, was detained on April 28, 2026, while returning home from work. He is being held at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, NJ, allegedly as a result of racial profiling. He faces deportation due to a misdemeanor conviction from over 10 years ago and has a court appearance scheduled for May 19, 2026.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations Newark and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Yechiel Yehoshua Farkash, a 43-year-old Lakewood resident, on April 17 pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant obtained under the U.S.-Israel extradition treaty. Israeli authorities sought Farkash's extradition on charges of attempted rape and indecent acts involving children committed between 2020 and 2023.
Michelle Mendoza, a U.S. citizen and mother of two young children, was detained by ICE agents on April 15, 2026, during a school drop-off at the intersection of Main Street and Bangs Avenue in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Agents took her to the ground, causing visible bruising, and handcuffed her in front of her children (ages 9 and 1). Some ICE agents covered their faces during the arrest, allegedly violating New Jersey state law prohibiting masked officers during enforcement actions. Mendoza was released without charges after eight hours at the Newark ICE detention center (Delaney Hall), though her husband remained in ICE custody. The incident prompted community protests and statements from city officials and state legislators.
Rev. Yeison Cortes Vasquez, a 46-year-old evangelical pastor at The Gathering Place Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, was detained by ICE on March 20, 2026, while working a food delivery job. ICE cited an overstayed tourist visa from Colombia that expired in 2016, though church members stated Vasquez had an active asylum case and was following legal processes. During his approximately three-week detention at Delaney Hall in Newark, church leaders reported he was denied access to a Bible for at least a week; DHS denied these allegations and stated detainees may request religious items. While in custody, Vasquez ministered to other detainees. Members of Congress visited the facility and raised concerns about detention conditions. Vasquez was released on bond with GPS monitoring while awaiting removal proceedings. The National Latino Evangelical Coalition confirmed he has no criminal record.
Diego Cabrera Gonzalez, a 9-year-old with cerebral palsy, and his family from Ecuador face possible deportation after an immigration hearing scheduled for later in April. The family came to the U.S. in 2023 seeking medical care for Diego, who has undergone four surgeries and has improved significantly since arriving. Their legal case was jeopardized when they hired someone who failed to properly file asylum paperwork, but they have since secured new legal representation and are fundraising to cover legal fees.
Michel Proenza Martínez, an undocumented Cuban citizen with a final deportation order, was apprehended by ICE in Newark immediately after his release from federal prison. He has a criminal record including burglary, vehicle theft, drug-related offenses, and federal robbery under the Hobbs Act. Proenza Martínez is being processed for removal from the United States as part of intensified ICE enforcement targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds.
Maria, a 38-year-old thyroid cancer survivor from Brazil, was detained at Delaney Hall ICE detention center for roughly two weeks where medical staff did not provide her prescribed daily hormone supplements and also provided incorrect medication, leaving her unable to urinate for at least four days. Her attorney filed an emergency letter to a federal judge on March 31, 2026, raising concerns about the possibility of irreparable harm including organ failure or sepsis. The judge ordered her release the next day, in part due to these medical concerns. Her case is among over 70 lawsuits filed by Delaney Hall detainees alleging medical neglect.
Edgar Gomez-Ramirez, 41, of Vineland, New Jersey, was detained by ICE officers on March 28, 2026, after leaving the Cumberland County Courthouse in Bridgeton. According to ICE, Gomez-Ramirez is a Mexican national who entered the United States without authorization three times and was previously offered voluntary return to Mexico on two occasions. Video recorded by his wife, Deborah, who was in the car, showed a masked agent breaking the car window with a baton. Gomez-Ramirez's wife said officers provided no explanation for the detention and did not show a warrant. ICE stated that agents identified themselves, gave multiple warnings that windows could be broken if occupants did not comply with orders to exit the vehicle, and used what the agency characterized as minimum force necessary to complete the arrest. Gomez-Ramirez is currently in ICE custody awaiting immigration court proceedings.
ICE agents detained Edgar Gomez in Bridgeton, New Jersey, after he left a court appearance where all charges against him had been dropped. Agents smashed the window of an immigration lawyer's vehicle and removed Gomez without producing a warrant despite requests from his attorney. Gomez was one step away from obtaining lawful permanent residency. The detention occurred one day after New Jersey passed a law requiring ICE agents to produce warrants.
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, was detained by ICE in March 2025 after attending a voluntary check-in at the Newark ICE office. She had participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in April 2024, though those charges were dismissed the next day. At the time of her ICE detention, Kordia had a pending green card application through her U.S. citizen mother and a pending asylum application. She was held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas for over one year. In February 2026, while detained, Kordia suffered a seizure and was hospitalized but remained shackled to her hospital bed and was prevented from contacting family or attorneys. She experienced additional health complications including dizziness, fainting episodes, and significant weight loss, along with reports of overcrowded conditions and inadequate food at the facility. On March 16, 2026, an immigration judge ordered her release on a $100,000 bond, citing minimal flight risk and serious medical concerns. The government did not appeal the decision. Her attorneys contend she was targeted for her pro-Palestine advocacy.
ICE agents arrested an undocumented father while he was taking his 15-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, both U.S. citizens, to school in New Jersey. According to witnesses and the family, agents asked the boy to call a relative but drove away before anyone arrived, leaving the two minors unattended on the roadside. The incident violates ICE policy and DHS directives requiring agents to remain on scene until a third party assumes physical custody of minor children.
Haruna, a 39-year-old Ghanaian man with hepatitis B, was detained at Delaney Hall ICE detention center and taken to the hospital twice—last year and in March 2026—requiring a blood transfusion and surgery after his requests for medical help were answered late or not at all. A doctor who reviewed his medical records found that Delaney Hall staff failed to provide him with needed outpatient medical care and identified a pattern of insufficient ongoing care leading to health deterioration followed by emergency treatment only when his life was in danger. His case is among over 70 lawsuits filed by Delaney Hall detainees alleging medical neglect and deficiencies.
An ICE enforcement operation in Newark, New Jersey on February 25-26, 2026 resulted in a multi-vehicle crash with injuries. ICE agents attempted to pull over a van during an arrest operation near a bus stop where fourth and fifth grade students were waiting for their school bus early Thursday morning. When the driver fled, the pursuit caused a crash involving multiple vehicles, including one carrying three children who were injured. The van driver was also injured and taken to the hospital. Armed and masked ICE agents were present near the bus stop, with some students reporting that agents followed them home. Ring camera footage captured the incident. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka criticized ICE's actions as reckless and dangerous, stating the operation violated New Jersey state law prohibiting law enforcement vehicle pursuits in densely populated areas without an immediate threat to public safety.
Two men were arrested by ICE agents outside a church in Union City, New Jersey over the weekend. According to the church pastor, both men had been in the United States for over 10 years and were active church members. Local leaders and the congressional representative expressed concern about the tactics used, with officials saying the men were targeted for being undocumented.
A 10-year-old U.S. citizen named Dylan recounted fleeing during an ICE operation that began near his school bus stop in Lindenwold, New Jersey on Thursday morning. Children waiting at the bus stop panicked and ran when they saw ICE enforcement vehicles, with Dylan running home in fear. The Lindenwold School District said the presence of multiple enforcement vehicles caused significant fear and confusion among fourth- and fifth-graders.
An ICE officer fired a weapon during a targeted enforcement operation in Roxbury when the arrest subject, Jesus Fabian Lopez-Banegas, rammed a law enforcement vehicle and attempted to run over an officer. The officer shot out the vehicle's tires to stop the threat. No injuries were reported and the subject was taken into custody. The state attorney general's office is investigating the incident.
A woman reported that ICE agents attempted to kidnap her twin brother, a Black American man, in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. According to the account, agents rammed into his pickup truck and chased him without apparent reason. The family is seeking public awareness of the incident.
Martin Soto, a 30-year-old Peruvian national and father of two young children, was detained by ICE on February 1, 2026, while returning home from buying diapers for his 11-month-old son in Kearny, New Jersey. Soto entered the U.S. in late 2023 and had lived in the country for two years with no criminal record, waiting for a court hearing scheduled for 2028. He is married to Gabriela, a U.S. citizen, and has a pending asylum case. Soto was held at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility in Newark operated by the for-profit GEO Group. According to his wife, he experienced medical neglect, poor food conditions, and staff abuse during his detention, losing approximately 51 pounds. In May 2026, he was transferred to Elizabeth Detention Center after participating in a hunger strike and his wife publicly exposed conditions at Delaney Hall. Soto had been the family's primary breadwinner working full-time in a restaurant kitchen. Martín Soto, 30, was detained by ICE on February 1, 2025, while buying diapers for his children near sunset, and transferred to Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. A Peruvian national who crossed the U.S. border unauthorized in Arizona in late 2023 and filed an asylum claim, he was released after four months with a court date set for 2028 and began working as a cook at an Italian restaurant in Kearny. His wife, Gabriela Soto, 28, a U.S. citizen born in Peru who immigrated as a child, is six months pregnant with their third child; the couple has a toddler daughter and infant son. After Gabriela led protests outside Delaney Hall calling for his release, guards offered to free Martín if she would stop demonstrating—which he refused—and later confiscated and tore up a drawing their daughter made during a visitation. He was subsequently transferred to Elizabeth Detention Center, where he remains while his wife launches a petition seeking his discretionary release.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained several residents in Hudson County, New Jersey on Sunday using unmarked vehicles. An ICE agent told a city councilman that warrants are not needed to conduct their operations. Local officials reported that ICE arrested at least three people, including two workers at local businesses, without advance notification to local police.
ICE agents conducted enforcement operations at Hudson Bergen Light Rail Station in Jersey City Heights and Hoboken on Sunday morning, detaining several people. An ICE officer was recorded telling a city councilman he did not need a warrant to make arrests. The incident prompted community meetings and responses from local leaders.
Federal ICE agents made arrests near the Jersey City-Hoboken border on Sunday morning without advance warning to local police. Multiple detentions occurred at the 9th Street Light Rail Station in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, with at least two people seen being taken into unmarked vehicles. Local officials stated that residents have rights, including the right to refuse entry without a judge-signed warrant.
Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian man, died in December 2025 at Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, less than a day after being detained. Brutus suffered a medical emergency and was transported to University Hospital, but an ambulance transporting him was delayed by 5 minutes as officials prioritized allowing a van of new detainees into the facility. A medical examiner determined he died from a pulmonary embolism, though ICE initially described his death as suspected natural causes. His death was one of at least two deaths at the facility that prompted civil rights scrutiny, and one of 23 people to die in ICE custody during the year.
Diana Elizabeth Cartagena Hueso, a 29-year-old Salvadoran asylum seeker detained in New Jersey on January 27, 2026, was transferred five times despite a federal court order blocking transfers. A federal judge ruled her detention illegal and found the government had violated at least 72 court orders since December in similar cases, warning he would require prosecutors to testify under oath if violations continued. The judge noted the government's conduct was intentional misconduct and that Hueso's case was emblematic of the administration's illegal approach to immigration enforcement in the state.
Jose Cruz Santos was unlawfully detained by ICE despite having no prior encounters with immigration authorities. A federal court ordered his release under the same conditions that existed prior to detention (no conditions), but ICE released him with monitoring and reporting requirements. The court voided the ICE order and prohibited any conditions on his release, criticizing the agency for knowingly disregarding the judicial order. Jose Cruz Castro, a worker at Don Patron Mexican Restaurant, was detained by ICE. A U.S. District Court judge ruled that his case will be transferred to the Western District of Pennsylvania.
A congresswoman faced criminal charges for visiting ICE detainees at a detention facility. The incident involved Congress members demanding the release of detainees, including Newark mayor Ras Baraka. The article examines the criminalization of congressional oversight of immigration detention practices.
A six-year-old girl was found wandering the streets alone after her father, Adonay Mancia Rodríguez, was detained by ICE agents in Morristown, New Jersey. The father left their apartment to pick up food when he was arrested during an immigration enforcement operation that resulted in the detention of 11 individuals. According to family statements, Rodríguez arrived in the U.S. as a teenager and had been employed and living in the community for over ten years with no criminal record.
Juan Daniel Mendoza, a 17-year-old Morristown High School senior, was arrested by ICE on Sunday while doing laundry at a Speedwell Avenue laundromat. U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin ordered his release on January 15, 2026, ruling that he was unlawfully detained in violation of his due process rights. Federal authorities are prohibited from re-arresting him without first demonstrating he poses a risk of flight or danger to the public.
Adonay Mancia Rodríguez was detained by ICE agents near his home in Morristown, New Jersey on January 11, 2026, during an enforcement sweep while picking up a dinner delivery. His six-year-old daughter Annabella was found wandering the streets alone following his detention. According to DHS, ICE took 11 individuals into custody during the operation who were undocumented and facing deportation.
ICE agents conducted a raid on January 11, 2026 at a laundromat in Morristown, New Jersey, detaining several people. At least one father was taken into custody, leaving his 6-year-old daughter alone on the street. The laundromat is located in the Hispanic community.
Benny, a 30-year-old musician from Guinea who arrived in the U.S. in 2011 on an H1B visa as a dance instructor, was detained by ICE on December 15, 2025, after going to a police station in Vineland, NJ to file a harassment report. An ICE agent at the station gave him a deportation form while falsely claiming it was a harassment report; Benny, who did not understand the legal language, signed it and was taken into custody. Over the past 12 years, Benny has built a life in the U.S., working in restaurants, getting married, renovating a house in Queens, and starting a farm in New Jersey where he raises goats. He has a 1-year-old daughter and has collaborated with an audio engineer to record over 100 songs together, becoming fluent in nine languages. As of the fundraiser, Benny has been incarcerated for 225 days at Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center, has lost over 50 pounds, and his next hearing is scheduled for September 1, 2026. Despite his own food insecurity, he has shared his meals with other detainees.
Don Lupe, who had lived in the U.S. for 27 years after migrating from Puebla, Mexico, was detained by ICE agents during a worksite raid in New Jersey. He described detention center conditions as isolating and abusive, designed to encourage self-deportation. His family mobilized support and with legal assistance, Don Lupe received a hearing where a judge granted bail and set bond at $7,500.
Ruperto Vicens Marquez, a 38-year-old restaurant owner and father of three from Mexico, was detained by ICE after being pulled over on a Sunday morning despite having valid work authorization that does not expire until 2029. Marquez has lived in the U.S. for 18 years and co-owns Emilio's Kitchen in Atlantic Highlands. His community, including the town mayor, rallied to support his release, and his attorney says he should never have been arrested. A detention hearing is scheduled for November 17.
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