12 immigration activists arrested at Pa. Capitol during anti-Trump protest

By Charles Thompson
on December 19, 2016 at 11:49 AM, updated December 19, 2016 at 3:55 PM

UPDATE: Pa. electors choose trump amid protest, arrest
This post was updated at 1:52 p.m. to clarify that Monday's arrests during the Electoral College protests were specifically of activists seeking the closure of the Berks Family Detention Center.

Twelve protestors of federal immigration detention policies were rounded up by Capitol Police and cited for disorderly conduct for blocking down traffic on Third Street in Harrisburg Monday.

The arrests occurred about 11:15 a.m., during a larger Capitol protest against Donald Trump's formal election, though those arrested were actually part of a separate rally seeking closure of a detention center in Berks County.

The demonstrators moved into the street in front of the Capitol steps and sat down, blocking traffic. All were led off the street and taken to the Dauphin County Booking Center for further processing.

After the citations are issued, they are expected to be released, said Capitol Police Superintendent Joseph Jacob.

"They (the citations) are for shutting down the roadway," Jacob said. "Other than that, they would have been fine."

Larger protests and press conferences are occurring in and outside the Capitol Monday as Pennsylvania's Electoral College delegation meeting this afternoon to formally ratify Trump's popular vote win in the state.

The arrests were traced to persons attending the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition rally, though organizers referenced the electoral college meeting in a release on the arrests.

PICC's statement said, in part:

"Today, as people come together to call on the Pennsylvania Electors to vote against the hatred and bigotry elevated by President-Elect Trump, immigrant advocates are disrupting business as usual in Harrisburg to demand that Governor Wolf take immediate action to shut down the Berks Family Detention Center (BCRC) and show that regardless of the results of today's vote, Pennsylvania will lead the way in building the vision of America we believe in: inclusive, welcoming, and diverse."

http://www.pennlive.com/politics/ind...or_blocki.html