Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) was one of the protestors hit by pepper spray by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Monday.
Demonstrators were outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. Delaney Hall is an immigrant detention facility and the place where some inmates are on a hunger strike to protest conditions at the facility.
The facility holds up to 1,000 inmates.
According to NJ.com, Kim attempted to negotiate an agreement between agents and protesters and defuse the situation. At one point, agents started pushing the crowd back and began firing projectiles containing chemical irritants.
Kim placed himself between the crowd and agents, putting his arms up, as if to say, “Stop.”
“It’s just burning,” Kim said after breathing in the chemicals.
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“What we saw here is unfortunately just what we see all over the country,” Kim told NJ.com. “It’s sad, it’s a sad day.”
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) was also at the protest and spoke with family members of detainees, who said they have been served spoiled food and received inadequate medical care, The New York Times reported.
“No matter what your immigration status is, you shouldn’t be treated with anything less than dignity in this country,” she said.
Last June, four detainees escaped Delaney Hall amid a revolt inside the facility over food.
The month before, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested outside the building.
