Around 115 women fighting for justice were arrested while rallying on Capitol Hill for immigration reform on the 12th of September. The New York Times says that a big group of women created a circle outside of the meeting place of Congress in a bid to get the attention of members of the House of Representatives.
The protesters gathered together, linking arms and positioning themselves on Independence Avenue, resulting in traffic being stalled for around half an hour. The demonstrators were all clad in red shirts that featured the slogan “Women for Fair Immigration Reform”, according to The Advocate. Police quickly arrested the women, with 25 of those placed under arrest being immigrants who do not have US legal status.
Around 300 supporters also attended the demonstration, with Washington, D.C. NBC affiliate WRC reporting that a number of the undocumented women had gathered together in order to urge Congressmen to think about immigration reform so that they could avoid being deported and allowed to stay with their families. Many of the demonstrators have had children in the United States that are thus regarded as being citizens by birth.
“Immigration reform is not just good for women and their families – it’s good for our democracy, good for our economy, and good for America,” says protester Rea Carey. “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. The House must act now and do the right thing.”