ICE agents use pepper spray on demonstrators in NY and NJ

ICE agents have used pepper spray against demonstrators during recent incidents in New York and New Jersey.

In Manhattan, 72-year-old Linda Wolff, an immigrant rights supporter, alleges her civil rights were violated when agents sprayed her while she was recording their activities in Inwood. Wolff, represented by attorney John Burris, plans to sue ICE under a New York law that allows individuals to sue federal officers in state court for constitutional violations. An ICE spokesperson stated that officers followed training and used the “minimum amount of force necessary.”

In Newark, New Jersey, U.S. Senator Andy Kim was also pepper-sprayed by federal agents during a protest outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility. The demonstration was held in response to a hunger strike by inmates protesting conditions such as subpar medical care and poor food quality. Senator Kim reported having difficulty breathing following the deployment of the spray.