Protesters in dozens of automobiles blocked site visitors on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge early Thursday to demand Senate Democrats “take fast motion to guard all immigrant households,” in line with an announcement from organizers.
5 organizers, together with not less than one particular person residing within the nation illegally, had been arrested following the demonstration, organizers from the Motion for Citizenship for All and the Bay Space Coalition for Financial Justice and Citizenship for All stated in an announcement despatched to USA TODAY.
California Freeway Patrol public data officer Andrew Barclay confirmed to USA TODAY that 5 individuals had been arrested and 4 automobiles towed following the protest. No accidents had been reported, he stated.
Through the protest, which began at round 7 a.m., 35 automobiles halted site visitors on the bridge’s northbound lanes for 45 minutes, organizers stated. California Freeway Patrol additionally stated site visitors was shifting in about 45 minutes.
Dozens of automobiles with carried indicators in English and Spanish declaring “Citizenship for Everybody!” and “No human is against the law” as audio system demanded immigration reform and local weather and financial justice, in line with a Fb livestream from activist group Bay Resistance.
Because the solar rose over the bridge, a person sang and performed his guitar from the again of a truck, declaring “I’m a Dreamer” after his efficiency.
The protest got here forward of a Senate vote on a $3.5 trillion price range reconciliation invoice that many immigration advocates hoped would come with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, organizers stated.
The demonstration additionally referred to as for financial fairness and criticized the remedy of Haitian refugees, in addition to the exclusion of staff residing within the nation with out authorized permission from authorities applications together with social safety, Medicare and federal stimulus aid, in line with the assertion from organizers.
“This injustice should cease,” the assertion stated. “Immigrant communities can not wait one other 20 years of failed guarantees…The time to ship financial justice, local weather justice, and citizenship for all is now.”
Protester Luis Angel Reyes Savalza informed the San Francisco Chronicle the demonstration is part of a renewed push for immigration reform amongst native organizers.
“We’re escalating our actions and our undocumented households are risking arrest and presumably deportation to ship the message we are able to now not wait,” Reyes Savalza stated.
Contributing: The Related Press
Contact Information Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or observe her on Twitter at @christinetfern.