AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Holt Baker, CWA President Cohen Among Immigration Activists Arrested on the Hill Today
Outside the Cannon House Office Building this afternoon, immigration activists, including AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker and Communications Workers of America ( CWA ) President Larry Cohen, took arrest for blocking traffic during a sit-in protest.
Watch a video of the arrest from NBC News here .
Calling for House Republicans to bring a vote on creating a commonsense immigration process with a road map to citizenship, activists and representatives from ally organizations, including the Campaign for Community Change, America's Voice, SEIU and the United Farm Workers, were arrested for blocking traffic.
Politico reporter Seung Min Kim reports :
More than 200 people crammed onto the sidewalks cheered on the activists who were bracing themselves to get arrested by sitting down in the middle of Independence Avenue and blocking traffic. Capitol Police officers issued four warnings before they began arresting people, tying their wrists together with flex-cuffs and putting them inside awaiting police vans.
Cohen said before the event:
“All of us in CWA are proud to stand for citizenship and against intolerance. I am proud to represent our members today as we demonstrate the broad movement that supports a citizenship path for 11 million of our co-workers and neighbors. We will support this campaign as long as it takes, whether we are sitting in the streets or organizing in our communities.”
Holt Baker tweeted earlier today:
What do we want? Immigration reform! When do we want it? Now! #TimeIsNow pic.twitter.com/8UQTqOW9jf
— Arlene Holt Baker (@ArleneHoltBaker) August 1, 2013
