Phoenix Police Arrest 6 at Immigration Protest against Joe Arpaio

Published March 21, 2012
Fox News Latino

Police arrested six demonstrators, including two minors, at a student-led rally to protest Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration policies, the local press reported.

The protesters included students from Trevor Browne High School and other area high schools and colleges.

They rallied Tuesday in the intersection of 75th Avenue and Cheery Lynn Street, forcing police to close 75th Avenue in both directions.

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"Arpaio is terrorizing our community and we're tired of it," 16-year-old Jackie Sanchez, who was seated around a protest banner laid out in the street, told the Arizona Republic. "The only power [Arpaio] has is fear. That's over."

During the four-hour rally protesters chanted “undocumented and unafraid” and slogans in support of the DREAM Act.

The demonstration began on a street corner but moved into the street by 3:15 p.m. Phoenix police say the protest was illegal because participants blocked the road.

The roughly 150 protesters were met by some 100 police officers, according to the Arizona Republic.

“Our job is to keep it peaceful and legal,” Phoenix police spokesman James Holmes told the Arizona Republic.

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Holmes said the protesters were not physically aggressive.

Police say the protesters were told to leave by 5:30 p.m. A line of officers approached the protesters in the road and started taking some into custody one by one.

Phoenix Police Arrest 6 at Immigration Protest against Joe Arpaio | Fox News Latino