The video showed that the protester was waving an upside-down American flag when she was hit.
A protest outside a US immigration detention center descended into chaos on Sunday after a protester was struck by a car while waving an upside-down American flag, the New York Post reported.The incident occurred outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, where dozens of demonstrators gathered on Father’s Day demanding the release of detainees and the closure of the facility.Footage from the scene shows a woman carrying an upside-down American flag standing in front of the building’s entrance and blocking access.Moments later, a red Dodge Challenger drove toward the group and struck the demonstrator before continuing forward.
She fell to the ground but was later seen moving as fellow protesters shouted nearby.The protester had traveled from Minnesota and was not seriously injured, according to Visible Brigade, a New Jersey-based activist group that spoke to Pix 11. The group said she “is not yet believed to have sought medical attention.”The group also claimed that the car’s driver was an employee of GEO Group, the private company that runs the 1,000-bed facility, although authorities have not confirmed this.
Tensions escalated further after the incident, with protesters claiming that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers used pepper spray on the crowd.The demonstration was part of a Father’s Day vigil outside Delaney Hall, where participants carried signs reading “Free the Fathers, Close the Encampments” and placed neckties on a fence while confronting officers stationed at the gates.The facility has been a recurring flashpoint in recent weeks, with continued protests linked to detainee allegations of poor conditions, including overcrowding, limited access to services, and concerns about case delays.
Officials denied the allegations and said detention standards were higher than those in many American prisons.Earlier this month, 12 protesters were arrested outside the center on charges including alleged assaults on federal officers. Some of those arrested were said to be from out of state, and investigators also linked a small number of individuals to activist groups campaigning against ICE operations at the site.
