Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleSenator Andy Kim was pepper-sprayed after trying to ease tensions at a protest outside of an immigration detention facility in Newark (Reuters)US Senator Andy Kim was pepper-sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during a protest outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday. The incident occurred as Senator Kim attempted to de-escalate a tense standoff between protestors and armed ICE agents outside Delaney Hall, where detainees are reportedly on hunger strike over inhumane conditions. Senator Kim described his eyes and throat as “burning” after ICE agents used pepper spray and pepper balls to clear a path for an armoured vehicle, also 'tackling people' amid the chaos. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill also attended the protest earlier, hearing complaints from families about spoiled food and inadequate medical care for detainees, but left before the confrontation. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed officers used minimum force against “rioters” and denied a hunger strike, with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin calling the protest a “political stunt”. In fullUS Senator pepper-sprayed by ICE outside immigration detention center: ‘It’s just burning’Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in