An alliance of “Black Lives Matter” and advocates for foreign migrants blocked rush-hour traffic in Chicago’s congested Loop Tuesday morning.
The protesters, led by a group calling itself Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), were demanding that immigration agencies halt the repatriation of foreign migrants. The group also claimed to be trying to focus public attention on the supposedly unfair government treatment of law-breaking migrants.
The roadway, which is a feeder into an expressway on the southern edge of the downtown business district, was shut down for about a half an hour. The blockage prevented travelers from getting into the area or getting out onto I-90 and I-290.
Protesters chained themselves together and chanted slogans such as “unafraid, unafraid” as Chicago firefighters cut the chains for police to separate them.
The pro-migrant group worked with Black Lives Matter protesters to launch the Tuesday morning rally.
The pro-Palestinian terrorist group “Palestinian Youth in Action” also participated.
The website NotOneMoreDeportation highlighted the role played by a women’s radical group, Assata’s Daughters, as well as OCAD.
“The civil disobedience,” the website reported, “puts a spotlight on a history of abuse stemming from the Chicago Field Office run by Director Ricard Wong outlined by a list of grievances that those targeted by immigration enforcement are reading out at the protest.”
Local Chicago blogger USofArn gathered several social media posts of participants in the protest.
The Chicago police announced that 12 protesters were arrested.
The protesters seem to believe that Obama is repatriating an increasing number of illegal migrants. In fact, the numbers of migrants and foreign criminals who have been repatriated have dropped sharply since 2012.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com