Freelance photojournalist Tom Hudson was shoved by police over a concrete barrier while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026.
Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.
Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police and city officers in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment.
On June 6, Newark police wielding riot shields began pushing protesters and journalists out of the way near Delaney Hall. As officers continued clearing the area, they pushed Hudson and two other photojournalists, tipping them backward over a concrete barrier that had been used as part of the protest perimeter.
Hudson did not respond to multiple requests for comment. He was identified by what he was wearing in an Instagram post from that day and a video of the incident. He was also identified by Pierre Lavie, another journalist who was pushed over the barrier.
Lavie said he believed officers were indiscriminately pushing people out of the area rather than targeting journalists specifically.
The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka released a statement saying all city officers are required to uphold standards of professionalism and accountability.
“Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark,” the mayor said.
The statement did not address the use of force against members of the press.
While covering other Delaney Hall protests, Hudson was also struck with projectiles and pushed with a metal fence.
This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.