US senator says he was pepper-sprayed by federal agents during protest at ICE facility

Key Points:

• Democratic Senator Andy Kim was pepper sprayed by federal agents during a protest at the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, where detainees are staging a hunger strike over poor conditions and denied medical care.
• Kim attempted to de-escalate tensions between protesters and ICE agents who were using an armored vehicle to transfer a detainee organizer, but agents pushed through the crowd with pepper spray and pepper balls, causing chaos.
• Demonstrators have been protesting since Friday, alleging detainees face issues like lack of fresh food, medical care, and broken air conditioning, with violence escalating after authorities moved hunger strike leader Martin Soto to another facility.
• DHS blamed "rioters" for the violence and said law enforcement used minimal force to protect themselves and federal property, denying that anyone was directly hit by pepper balls.
• The incident occurs amid stalled negotiations over a $70 billion ICE and border patrol funding bill, which Senate Republicans recently blocked amid political disputes involving former President Trump.