Twelve protesters who were arrested Tuesday morning after their demonstration blocked traffic on Congress Parkway in the Loop outside the regional office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been released on their own recognizance.
The protesters were arrested by Chicago Police and charged with obstruction of motor traffic by a non-motorist, a misdemeanor, police said. They were all released on their own recognizance.
Stop the deportations! #stoptheraids pic.twitter.com/NIlHQAnuz5
— OCAD (@OCAD_CHI) February 16, 2016
The group, led by Organized Communities Against Deportations, was calling for an end to immigration raids, according to a statement from OCAD. The protest lasted about 90 minutes.
Activists sat on ladders and held hands while chained together in the intersection near 101 W. Congress starting around 8 a.m. Tuesday, blocking inbound traffic and delaying CTA buses.
“I am here to say that there needs to be an end to raids and deportations,” Francisco Canuto said in a statement from OCAD. “Agents entered my home under false pretenses, they fingerprinted me and my roommates, and took me into detention. I spent 13 awful days in a detention center that I don’t wish on anyone,” Canuto said.