There were around 15 arrests during a protest in Texas, on Wednesday. The protest demanded that the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US be granted permanent legal status – this included four recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The nonviolent immigrant rights movement, known as Cosecha, organized the protest, held near the state capitol building, in the city of Austin.
Around 59 people chanted, “yes you can” and “undocumented and unafraid” with some protesters blocking a city street as they did so, resulting in several arrests. Undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US when they were minors were given a temporary reprieve from the threat of deportation under the program, enacted via executive order by President Barack Obama in 2012.
Government data reveals that over 787,000 young immigrants have received DACA approval, but during the 2016 Presidential election campaign, President Donald Trump said he would repeal the executive act. Although Trump has yet to do so and appears to have softened his stance on DACA recipients since taking office, those participating in the protest on Wednesday placed themselves at risk, according to Maria Fernanda Cabello, a spokeswoman for Cosecha.
Victor Taylor, a staff sergeant at the Texas Department of Public Safety, told local media that the protesters were taken into custody without incident after ignoring repeated requests by DPS officials to leave the roadway. 11 of the arrested activists say they will stay in jail until the release of the four DACA recipients.