Three Democratic congressmen were arrested Tuesday outside Trump Tower in New York as part of a protest of President Trump’s decision to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants.
Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) and Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) were among at least 10 people arrested, according to a Gutiérrez spokesman.
Those arrested also included New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is Puerto Rican and widely considered among New York political observers to be a future mayoral or congressional candidate.
“We’re taking the necessary steps to make it clear to President Trump, the Republicans and the Democrats that we will continue this peaceful fight for DREAMers and immigrants as long as it takes to enact legislation and put DREAMers in a safe place,” Gutiérrez said in a statement provided by his spokesman after the arrest. “A few Congressmen and elected-officials gathering in front of Trump Tower doesn’t mean much if it is not backed up by the grassroots and allies and today we are standing with diverse allies to make sure Congress and the President do more than just talk about solutions, they actually follow through with action.”
Gutiérrez is among the most emotional advocates for comprehensive immigration reform and has been a strident critic of Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-era executive action that granted temporary legal protection to hundreds of thousands of young “dreamers,” or children of illegal immigrants.
Activists sit on Fifth Avenue blocking traffic alongside Rep. Adriano Espaillat, right, New York City Council member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva and Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez before they were arrested. (Darren Ornitz/Reuters)
Espaillat, a former undocumented immigrant, and Grijalva, who represents parts of southern Arizona, are also strong critics of Trump’s decision.
Trump is in New York on Tuesday to address the U.N. General Assembly and to meet with other world leaders. He spent Monday night at his high-rise home on Fifth Avenue.
The protest Tuesday outside Trump’s home was organized by Make The Road New York, a progressive, immigrants’ rights group.
The arrests come a day after dozens of protesters loudly shouted down House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during a San Francisco event designed to call for the immediate passage of the Dream Act, a bill created to permanently grant protections to dreamers.
Pelosi, Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) agreed last week to work toward a bipartisan deal that would lead to passage of the Dream Act and bolstered security measures along the U.S. border with Mexico.
These billboards, advertising for English classes in Zagreb, Croatia and featuring First Lady Melania Trump were yanked Tuesday. Elizabeth Keatinge (@elizkeatinge) has more. Buzz60
A billboard showing first lady Melania Trump next to the phrase “just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English” was removed Tuesday in Croatia after Trump’s Slovenian lawyer threatened a lawsuit.
The billboards were advertisements for the English language school Američki Institut, but images Tuesday showed the signs blank.
Trump’s lawyer Natasa Pirc-Musar told the Associated Press that she was “satisfied with the fact that the school admitted that they violated the law and that they are ready to remove the billboards.” Pirc-Musar also said she was still considering other legal options.
School spokesperson Ivis Buric apologized for the billboards and said they were meant to be positive, the Associated Press reported. Buric also called the ads “very successful” because they attracted so much publicity and said the school plans to build more without Trump’s picture.
This is not the first time an image of the first lady has created a legal stir in Europe.
In November, Pirc-Musar issued a statement saying it was against Slovenian copyright law to use Trump’s face on billboards and items for sale, Politico reported. Many in Trump’s hometown of Sevnica were cashing in by using Trump’s face on their goods.
“Judicial practice in Slovenia is clear: the use of the name, surname and photo of someone for commercial purposes without approval is not allowed,” Pirc Musar told the Associated Press in December. However, no legal actions had been taken.
The first family’s first weekend at Camp David started on June 17, 2017. Mrs. Trump chose an embroidered pinstripe white dress by Gabriela Hearst, plus flats, for the occasion, according to White House Wardrobe on Twitter. Their son, Barron, 11, was wearing soccer gear, and President Trump, who’s rarely seen in anything but a suit, had ditched his tie. Melania’s parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, also went along on the ride to the rustic presidential refuge about 70 miles from the White House in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains. Carolyn Kaster, AP
