Rep. Luis Gutierrez arrested outside White House during DACA rally
by Naomi Lim | Aug 15, 2017, 5:10 PM
Rep. Luis Gutierrez was arrested outside the White House on Tuesday during a rally demonstrating support for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The Illinois Democrat was taking part in a sit-in on the sidewalk outside 1600 Pennslyvania Avenue -- organized to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the initiative's introduction -- at the time of his arrest.
"JUST NOW: @RepGutierrez has just been arrested in front of the White House! #DefendDACA," immigrant advocacy group United We Dream tweeted.
The group also tweeted that about 25 people were taken into custody during the event, which was also held in support of temporary protected status for illegal immigrants.
The DACA and TBS programs are now both in doubt under the Trump administration.
A representative from Gutierrez's office confirmed the arrest over Twitter, saying he was "still in U.S. Park Police custody."
This is not the first time Gutierrez has had a run-in with the law for disturbing the peace.
In March, he was arrested for protesting President Trump's immigration policies at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Chicago.
United We DreamVerified account
@UNITEDWEDREAM
JUST NOW: @RepGutierrez has just been arrested in front of the White House! #DefendDACA
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHSpG1hXoAAOF5f.jpg
11:40 AM - 15 Aug 2017
United We DreamVerified account
@UNITEDWEDREAM
Twenty five people being arrested today fighting to protect immigrants.
This is how urgent it is to #DefendDACA! ✊
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHSs45xW0AAaF2c.jpg
11:58 AM - 15 Aug 2017
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/re...rticle/2631624
Dem Rep. Arrested at White House Immigration Protest
August 15, 2017
BY: Charles Fain Lehman
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D., Ill.) was one of approximately 30 protesters arrested Tuesday in front of the White House during a pro-immigration rally.
Gutiérrez was arrested when he and others sat on the White House sidewalk as a form of protest, the Hill reports. The rally was in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program implemented under the Obama administration.
Gutiérrez and his fellow protesters were escorted away by U.S. Park Police, according to a Gutiérrez spokesman, and taken to their headquarters in Anacostia Park.
"The same values that I inculcated in my daughters, that my wife and I raised them, [Dreamers] are an example and exemplify them. Their dreams are just like my kids' dreams," Gutiérrez told The Hill shortly before being arrested.
This is Gutiérrez's third time being arrested outside the White House. He was similarly arrested in 2010 and 2011 at immigration-related protests.
The congressman was also arrested in March at a Chicago protest of an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency headquarters.
DACA's on-going implementation is an open question. A coalition of 10 states have said that they will bring suit against the federal government unless the Trump administration ends the program. Neither the White House nor the Department of Justice have commented on the administration's plans as regards DACA.
Gutiérrez has attracted criticism for his handling of his campaign funds. Specifically, he has paid his wife tens of thousands of dollars to his wife from his campaign war chest—more than $400,000 in 2017.
http://freebeacon.com/politics/dem-rep-arrested/
