Friday, October 18, 2013

Protesters Blocked An ICE Deportee Bus In San Francisco

Photo courtesy of Instagram user yogurtsoda

Police removed the protesters from blocking an ICE deportee bus, no arrests were made for Thursday's afternoon two hour stalemate. 

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 18, 2013

San Francisco, CA - Police confirmed that an estimated 100 immigrant rights activists and protesters managed to block an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportee bus from moving and transporting an undermine amount of undocumented immigrants. About 20 protesters sat in front of the bus and held hands and another group sat in the back-end of the bus to keep it from moving. 
Police were called to the scene at the intersection of Washington Street and Sansome Streets where traffic was brought to a halt. After several hours,  police managed to remove the peaceful protesters without making any arrests. The organizers say, Thursday's action was to send President Obama a message, for him to issue an executive order to stop deportations immediately and the separation of families.
It was the first time that an ICE deportee bus was blocked in the city and protesters vowed to continue to block other ICE buses in coming weeks.
On October 11, ten Not1More protesters in Tucson, Arizona were taken into custody after chaining themselves into the rims of Operation Streamline Court ICE buses, a federal court entrance fence and blocking several ICE buses. The bus were transporting between 80 to 100 undocumented immigrants to the Streamline  Court where an immigration judge convicts all of them in a group for being in the country illegally and sentences them from 30 to 130 days to private prisons before they are actually removed from the U.S.
Not1More activists say, the court convictions and sentences are illegal, which violates each person their individual rights to appeal, due process, contacting the Mexican Consulate and to seek legal advice from family members or attorneys.
The U.S. House GOP vowed not to pass an Immigration reform bill this year and their defeat to stall Obamacare for several years by shuting down the government for 16 days failed. The House GOP will no doubt make sure Obama won't  get to sign an immigration reform bill this year, according to GOP sources.

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