Thread: Rep. Gutierrez arrested outside of White House in immigratio

Rep. Gutierrez arrested outside of White House in immigration demonstration
By Kevin Bogardus - 05/01/10 03:56 PM ET

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) was arrested outside the White House on Saturday during a May Day protest for immigration reform.

Guiterrez had been speaking to a crowd of hundreds at Lafayette Square when he announced that he was going to go to the White House fence with other protesters, sit down, and not move until he was arrested or until comprehensive immigration reform was signed.

Gutierrez, who chanted "Si se puede" ("Yes, it is possible") along with other demonstrators, linked arms with other protesters and took a seat along the White House fence. He was warned to move by police, and when he did not comply he was arrested with a few dozen other protesters.

The crowd chanted the congressman's name as he was led onto the bus.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... hite-house

Updated May 01, 2010
Immigrant Activists, Including Congressman, Arrested Outside White House

Associated Press

Immigrant advocates are being arrested in front of the White House fence, after sitting down and defying orders from police.

About three dozen protesters and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois joined in the civil disobedience Saturday. They held a sign saying, "Obama, Stop deporting our Families." Some wore T-shirts that read "Arrest us, Not our Families."

Protesters are usually required to stay in motion when demonstrating in front of the White House.

Hundreds of protesters turned out for the rally at Lafayette Park, urging President Obama to fulfill his campaign promises to achieve immigration reform.

Obama was to return to the White House around 2:40 p.m. after speaking at the University of Michigan. Two Marine helicopters flew overhead, but it wasn't clear if Obama was on board.

April 29: A a drop house is raided by state and federal agents, yielding nine suspected illegal immigrants, and three suspected human smugglers in Phoenix.

Obama had once promised to tackle immigration reform in his first 100 days, but has pushed back that timetable several times. He said this week that Congress may lack the "appetite" to take on immigration after going through a tough legislative year. However, the president and Congress could address related issues, like boosting personnel and resources for border security, in spending bills this year.

Activists said outrage over Arizona's controversial immigration law "awakened a sleeping giant" Saturday as rallies demanding federal immigration reform kicked off in cities across the country.

In New York, Labor organizer John Delgado said anger over the law -- which requires local law enforcement to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they're in the country illegally -- drew more than 5,000 people to a rally at Manhattan's Foley Square.

"That's the fuel that motivated them to come here, because of the sadness of the Arizona law," said Delgado, who is business manager for Local 79 of the Construction and General Building Laborers Union.

Organizers believe opposition to the law could be the catalyst to draw tens of thousands to rallies in dozens of cities. Four years ago, more than a million people across the country united to protest ultimately unsuccessful federal legislation that would have made being an illegal immigrant a felony.

The movement fractured and annual May 1 rally attendance dropped sharply as attempts to reform federal immigration policy fizzled. In 2006, nearly half a million people took to Chicago's streets. Last year, fewer than 15,000 participated in the rallies, held May 1 because it's a traditional day of protest and International Workers Day.

But immigration reform advocates have seen a flurry of activity since Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed the Arizona measure into law last week.

"What happened in Arizona proves that racism and anti-immigrant hysteria across the country still exists. We need to continue to fight," said Lee Siu Hin, a coordinator with the Washington, D.C.-based National Immigrant Solidarity Network.

Relying on online social networking, churches and ethnic media to mobilize, activists have called for a boycott of Arizona businesses and protested outside Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games.

Supporters say the law is necessary because of the federal government's failure to secure the border, and they pointed to an attack Friday on a sheriff's deputy in southern Arizona as proof something had to be done.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said Deputy Louie Puroll was shot and wounded after coming across a band of suspected drug smugglers about 50 miles south of Phoenix. Brewer and others immediately chimed in, saying the attack shows a growing problem with a porous border.

"The horrendous violence we see by narco-terrorists is uncontrolled, and our own federal government refuses to fulfill its responsibility to secure our border," Brewer said in a statement.

Critics of the law say it's unconstitutional and encourages racial profiling and discrimination against immigrants or anyone thought to be an immigrant. But they say that without federal legislation in place to address the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S., other states may follow Arizona's lead.

"If Republicans and Democrats do not take care of this albatross around our necks, this will in fact be the undoing of many, many years of civil rights struggle in this country," said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, where organizers expect 100,000 to march downtown Saturday.

Activists aren't alone in their opposition to Arizona's law, a fact May 1 organizers hope will draw out even more people Saturday.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/01/im ... ationwide/

the DC TV stations have not canguht up with the present and reported any of this. Only two stations even reported the rally in front of the white house.

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http://www.alipac.us/article-5213--0-0.html

What a sniffling, crybaby jerk.

He reminds me of a 10 year old that just got grounded for not doing his homework.

"What happened in Arizona proves that racism and anti-immigrant hysteria across the country still exists. We need to continue to fight," said Lee Siu Hin, a coordinator with the Washington, D.C.-based National Immigrant Solidarity Network.

No you don't Lee. You need to fight the promoters of this hysterical propaganda. Then you need to insist that our borders are completely secured. Then you can stop with your solidarity crusade because we already have an immigration process. This is America, not Communist China.

A congressman who breaks the law for law breakers.

I hope Slimeball gutierrez gets little attention for his arrest, this is exactly what he wanted to happen. Won't help slimeball, amnesty is NOT going to happen. Rot in jail.

Illegal Immigration is NOT A CIVIL RIGHT. It is a CRIME.
Illegal Immigration is not protected under the U.S. Constitution.

Criminal Aliens are trying to dictate what American Law should be.

This is like the theme of a bad novella where the "hero" sacrifices himself for the cause and is later raised on the shoulders of the downtrodden rabble and chosen to protect them as their "leader".
Considering that the crowd he plays to are easy to manipulate with promises of a free ride and supremecy, I can't say that I am surprised.