Thread: Immigration activist among 3 arrested at Phoenix protest against deportations

Immigration activist among 3 arrested at Phoenix protest against deportations

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
February 26, 2014 - 9:34 am EST

PHOENIX — A locally prominent immigration activist and two other people protesting outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Phoenix have been arrested by police.

KTVK-TV (http://bit.ly/1bLJEEd ) reports that activist Erika Andiola and the others were arrested late Tuesday night when they were on the wrong side of a line marking the edge of a public sidewalk.

The three were there as part of an ongoing protest against deportations.

Andiola is a founder of a group of young immigrants who advocate legal status for people who were brought to the United States illegally as children, as Andiola was.

The Arizona State University graduate and native of Mexico now has work U.S. authorization under the federal deportation-relief program.

Other protesters remain outside the ICE office.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/stor...ration-Protest

Nationally known DREAMer, 2 others arrested at hunger strike outside ICE headquarters
AZFamily
PHOENIX -- An outspoken DREAMer who has been taking part in a hunger strike outside ICE headquarters in downtown Phoenix woke up behind ...

Imagine that, being famous for being illegal.

By Danika Worthington and Daniel Gonzalez The Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team Wed Feb 26, 2014 3:04 PM

Protesters outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Phoenix said they won’t leave until they see their loved ones released, despite the arrest of three demonstrators Tuesday night.

Four hunger strikers, some of whom were overcome with emotion, said at a news conference Wednesday that they were continuing their strike until they saw their loved ones walk out of the ICE detention center where they are held in Eloy.

Demonstrators have remained outside the ICE center since Feb. 17 and plan to end their protest March 3, protester Jose Patino said.

Phoenix police arrested three demonstrators Wednesday night at about 11 p.m. for criminal trespassing on private property, said Sgt. Trent Crump, a Phoenix police spokesman. The three had already received warnings earlier that day. Police gave the others warnings and said they had the option to leave, and some did, Crump said.

The protesters on Wednesday condemned the police actions.

Dan Pochoda, legal director with the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, said the police had used unnecessary force against a “peaceful vigil.”

“We all have the right in this country to a peaceful protest, and that is what they were doing,” Pochoda said.

The protesters asked people to sign their online petition for the release of the strikers’ relatives or to contact ICE and tell them in person.

Initially, only a handful of protesters were present Tuesday night, Crump said, but 40 to 50 people had arrived by the time officers were taking down tents. He said protesters, who were standing across the street, chanted anti-Phoenix police slogans.

He said officers gave the seized property to representatives from the demonstration.

The police closed the street at about 11 p.m. to make the arrests so public inconvenience could be minimized, Crump said.

Reyna Montoya, another member of the group, said officers were yelling and tearing down part of the encampment even though the demonstrators remained calm

The action was sudden and unexpected, despite the police warnings, Patino said, and caught the sleeping demonstrators off guard.

“We thought it was going to be earlier in the day when we had more people,” he said.

“It was very orchestrated,” said Patino, 25. “A lot of the trust we have in Phoenix police was shaken yesterday. We understand what their job is and they understand we’re here to fight.”

The protest stated on Feb. 17 when six demonstrators on a hunger strike camped in front of the ICE center to draw attention to the federal government’s deportation policies. The strikers, who all had relatives in a detention center in Eloy, were joined by a rotating group of supporters.

Only four protesters remain on a hunger strike after some stopped due to health reasons, Patino said.

The protesters said six people inside the detention center are also on hunger strikes, however, ICE only confirmed one person participating earlier this week and said no detainees were on hunger strikes at this time.

One of the people on hunger strike was taken to a hospital on Monday after her heart rate showed signs of electrolyte imbalance, said Jason Odhner, a nurse with the Phoenix Urban Health Collective.

The woman, Anselma Lopez, 48, left the hospital Tuesday and briefly rejoined the protest.

Lopez is asking ICE to release her son, Elder Gomez, 30, for humanitarian reasons because he suffers from health conditions after being shot in the stomach by a gang member in Guatemala in 2000.

She said he was detained after being caught re-entering the U.S. after he was deported.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/p...stay-abrk.html