Madison Man Charged With Assaulting ICE Officers During Protest

MADISON — A Madison man has been charged with assaulting federal officers after authorities said he kicked and bit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a protest outside the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark.

Brendan John Geier, 26, of Madison, was arrested on Thursday, May 28, 2026, and charged by federal complaint with assaulting federal officers and causing bodily injury, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Geier appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cari Fais and was released with location monitoring, a curfew, and an order prohibiting him from returning to Delaney Hall.

Federal authorities said ICE officers were conducting security and crowd-control operations during a demonstration near the detention facility at approximately 10:30 p.m. Officers were attempting to clear a roadway used by vehicles entering and leaving the facility when a group of demonstrators allegedly refused repeated commands to move back.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an ICE deportation officer approached Geier as officers moved toward the group. Authorities allege Geier kicked the officer in the leg. During the struggle that followed, Geier allegedly bit one officer on the forearm, bit another officer on the knuckle, and kicked an officer in the forearm while officers attempted to remove him from the area.

All three officers received medical attention from emergency medical technicians at the scene, and two were later treated at a Newark hospital, federal prosecutors said.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said assaulting law enforcement officers is unacceptable and said federal officers must be able to carry out their duties without being subjected to violence, intimidation, or obstruction.

Federal authorities said 21 individuals were arrested for allegedly assaulting federal officers at Delaney Hall between May 26 and May 29.

The charge of assault resulting in bodily injury carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

The investigation is being handled by Homeland Security Investigations Newark, with assistance from ICE and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sinclair of the General