Outside group behind Arpaio protest in Phoenix

by Daniel González - Mar. 21, 2012 09:32 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

The immigration demonstration that shut down an intersection in west Phoenix for several hours Tuesday was organized by a group from outside Arizona that encourages young undocumented immigrants to "come out of the shadows" by getting arrested.

The group, Dream Activist, is an online organization with no home base that is led by a network of undocumented immigrants from several states, said Juan Escalante, a group spokesman who lives in Tallahassee, Fla. He identified himself as a undocumented immigrant from Venezuela who graduated last year from Florida State University.

The group has organized acts of civil disobedience in more than six cities in recent years, including the one in Phoenix, that have resulted in the arrests of more than 60 young undocumented immigrants, many of them students or recent graduates, he said.

The group sent one of its members to help coordinate the protest.

During Tuesday's protest, about 150 people, including many high-school students, sat in the street to protest the immigration polices of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The protesters closed the intersection of 75th Avenue and Cheery Lynn Road in front of Trevor G. Browne High School for more than three hours.

Six people, including two juveniles, were arrested by Phoenix police on suspicion of disrupting a thoroughfare and disorderly conduct.

The group's tactics were condemned Wednesday by several local supporters of the Dream Act, federal legislation that first was introduced in 2001. It would allow undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to gain citizenship if they attend college or join the military.

Carmen Cornejo, executive director of Cadena, a Phoenix-based group that advocates for the Dream Act, said the demonstration sent a negative message and also put young people at risk of being deported, something her organization would never support.

"It does not reflect our purpose, our mission, our efforts or our past work," Cornejo said. "We were surprised, angry and upset about this protest and also by people trying to hijack some of the members of our organization to do this protest."

Cornejo said her organization has tried to build support for the Dream Act by encouraging undocumented students to stay in school so they can become contributing members of this country.

The four adults arrested are Ofelia Sanchez, 18; Hugo Sanchez, 23; Daniela Cruz, 20; and Viridiana Hernandez, 20, said James Holmes, a spokesman for the Phoenix police.

Holmes did not identify the juveniles, both girls. One is 16, the other is 17, he said. Both have been released.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials initially ordered the four adults detained. But after reviewing their cases, ICE officials determined they do not fall under the agency's priorities of deporting criminals, recent border crossers and "egregious" immigration violators such as people previously deported who have returned to the U.S., said Amber Cargile, an ICE spokeswoman.

Daniel Valenzuela, a Phoenix city councilman, said Hernandez is a well-known community advocate in his district, which covers parts of west Phoenix.

Valenzuela said he supports the Dream Act but was unhappy about Tuesday's demonstration.

"There are other avenues that can be taken, and I would never condone people being purposely arrested," he said.

Republic reporter Brennan Smith contributed to this article.

source: Outside group behind Arpaio protest in Phoenix