#andy kim

Marco Margaritoff at HuffPost:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Monday used pepper-spray balls on a crowd of protesters outside Delaney Hall, a privately-run immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, apparently injuring Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.). “What we saw here is unfortunately just what we see all over the country,” Kim told NJ.com. The Democratic lawmaker was reportedly attempting to reach an agreement with the officers on Monday to scale down their presence and have immigration advocates, rather than armed ICE agents, inspect any vehicles leaving the facility to check if detainees were inside.

The federal immigration agents began pushing protesters backward instead, firing rounds of pepper-spray balls into the crowd and arresting several people, according to NJ.com. Footage of Kim being treated for the irritant was published on social media. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told CNN that approximately 125 people had “surrounded” Delaney Hall, forming “a human chain” and “blocking all entries and exits” in protest amid reports of hunger strikes and inhumane conditions. The department claimed in a later statement on social media that no individuals “were directly struck” by the pepper-spray balls. Kim told NJ.com he had been struck in the hand before inhaling the chemical irritant, causing him to have trouble breathing. Advertisement “I ran up and put myself between the ICE officers and the crowd, and that’s when they started to shoot at us with the pepper balls — as well as using the pepper spray — and were tackling people,” Kim told the outlet, noting that his hand “hurts a lot” but that this is “not about me.” The senator added, “I just wanted to try to keep people safe.” Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs Lauren Bis on Monday told CNN there is “NO hunger strike” and “NO subprime conditions” inside Delaney Hall, adding “sanctuary politicians” like Kim “should be thanking ICE” for keeping “rapists, murderers, pedophiles and drug traffickers” detained. [...]

Mullin on Monday echoed Bis in claiming there are “NO” hunger strikes or “subprime conditions” at Delaney Hall, condemning Democratic lawmakers who spent the weekend “smearing ICE.” Kim reiterated to NJ.com that he spoke to detainees directly, “engaged in this hunger strike.” He told the outlet, “It’s sad, it’s a sad day.”

Terrorist ICE agents pepper sprayed those protesting outside of detention facility Delaney Hall in New Jersey, including Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ). DHS spokesperons put out lies denying that a hunger strike is ongoing over the subprime conditions of that facility.

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"We need more of this" Do we? We get this all the time. It is in fact the MO of the establishment to "de-escalate" those opposing abuse while protecting the oppressors. Dude looks like a fuckin cop

"worsening" yeah who was making the situation worse? the people sitting on a fucking sidewalk or the paddywagon of heavily armed goons?

Being a bootlicker still gets you a mouth full of pepper spray so you can go on every station to talk about how ICE is "out of hand" but you can clear people trying to impede said "rogue" agents at the same time.

Rumbling from protesters said he cut a deal with ICE to remove the protesters and wasn't there spontaneously, though I've not been able to confirm that, over the sound of every report sucking his dick.

Kim is being portrayed as brave and noble for being yet another obstacle to people trying to fight ICE in every way they can, and brave is not the word I'd use to describe someone who is adamant you shouldn't call Palestine a genocide since that is "too strong a word." Guess you wouldn't know strength if it sprayed you in the face, would you?

The photo op is being captioned over and over with "history will remember this" and I'm sure everyone on the ground won't forget. That every time republicans run rampant with fascism, there are establishment and supposed "anti-establishment" dems ready to scold even "peaceful" "nonviolent" protesters that they supposedly love so much and help fascist goon squads carry out their atrocities in the name of preserving some utter facade of "civility"

The thing is, there ARE senators and politicians who are facing ICE literally and figuratively, and aren't getting the same hero status. Alex Padilla was brutally dragged out of a DHS press conference. Still a photo op moment, but one where DHS was confronted, not protesters. Brad Lander was arrested stepping between a man DHS wanted to arrest, and the cops. He locked arms with protesters and was attacked for it. There are judges who helped people escape from ICE, like Hannah Dugan and Shelley Joseph.

Ras Baraka was arrested for trying to go into an ICE facility. Which one, you ask? Oh YEAH the same fucking facility Andy Kim's stunt was at. Know who else was with Ras?

LaMonica McIver, who has been abandoned by most dems as she faces mounting legal trouble and risk of long-term imprisonment for actually trying to hold ICE accountable for constant repeated reports of abuse.

We need more LaMonicas and fewer Andys. We need more people actually willing to DO something and not posture about it while actively making things harder for those fighting.

And we need now more than ever to support LaMonica in her struggle

House Democrat Wages a Lonely Legal Fight Testing Congress’s Power