Immigration protests continue, bring more arrests
WASHINGTON (WISH) – More demonstrators were arrested Friday in a series of immigration protests that have been happening across the country this week.
More protests are planned for this weekend, as elected officials have yet to pass any immigration reforms.
Brenda Ramirez-Garcia saw her son for the first time in two months Friday morning at Dulles International Airport after he was separated from her at the border.
More than 500 children in Customs and Border Protection custody have been returned to their parents.
But, as of Tuesday, more than 2,000 were still waiting to be reunited.
Some lawmakers visited with women who took over the Hart Senate Building on Thursday. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, was among the 575 women arrested for unlawful demonstration.
Jayapal said, “This is about right and wrong. And we have to stand up, and we have to put ourselves on the line.”
Actress Susan Sarandon was among almost those arrested in the protest Thursday.
The 71-year-old actress tweeted, “Arrested. Stay strong. Keep fighting. #WomenDisobey.”
Sarandon and the protesters marched through the capital and occupied a Senate office building.
According to police, they were being processed at the scene and released.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump gave a lukewarm approved for a GOP leadership-backed immigration bill. “I don’t get overlyexcited with the House bill right now because it’s not going to pass in the Senate, you’re not going to get — you’re not going to get the Democrats to vote for anything.”
The House bill failed by an even wider margin than expected.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, said, “It’s sickening to think about children who everyday go to bed not knowing where mom and dad or even their aunt or uncle who brought them here are. We should make that our priority today.”
This weekend, more protests are planned in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland.