Kim said he was affected by irritants when ICE agents used pepper spray and pepper balls outside Delaney Hall, and his office confirmed pepper pellets were shot directly in front of him. DHS said pepper ball projectiles did not strike anyone directly, but it did not deny that pepper spray or other crowd control measures were used.
In late May 2026, people online claimed U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, a New J...
The strongest version of this narrative is that Senator Andy Kim was caught in the crossfire of a tense standoff between protesters and ICE agents, where chemical irritants were deployed, and he was affected by them. The evidence—including Kim’s own account, confirmation from his office, and video footage—supports this claim, while DHS’s response focuses narrowly on the technicality of direct hits by pepper ball projectiles, avoiding broader questions about the use of force. This framing allows ...