A protest outside a US immigration detention center on Sunday turned chaotic when a demonstrator was hit by a car while waving an upside-down American flag, the New York Post reports.The incident occurred outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, where dozens of protesters had gathered on Father’s Day to demand the release of detainees and the closure of the facility.Footage from the scene shows a woman holding an upside-down American flag and standing in front of the building’s entrance, blocking the entrance.Moments later, a red Dodge Challenger drove toward the group and struck the protester before continuing on. She fell to the ground but was later seen moving, with fellow protesters shouting nearby.The protester had traveled from Minnesota and was not seriously injured, according to the New Jersey-based activist group Visible Brigade, which spoke to Pix 11. The group said it was “not yet believed that he sought medical care.”The group also claimed that the driver of the vehicle was an employee of GEO Group, the private company that operates the 1,000-bed facility, although this has not been confirmed by authorities.Tension escalated after the incident, with protesters alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers used pepper spray against the crowd.The demonstration was part of a Father’s Day vigil outside Delaney Hall, where participants held signs reading “Free the fathers, close the camps” and placed neckties on the fence, facing officers stationed at the gate.The facility has been the subject of repeated controversy in recent weeks, with ongoing protests by detainees over claims of poor conditions, including overcrowding, limited access to services and concerns over case delays. Officials have denied the allegations and have said that standards of detention are higher than those of many US prisons.Earlier in the month, 12 protesters were arrested outside the center on charges including alleged assault on federal officers. Some of those detained are reported to be from out of state, and investigators have also linked some individuals to activist groups campaigning against ICE operations at the site.