Police arrest protesters blocking Detroit-Windsor tunnel at immigration rally

DETROIT–Protestors championing immigrant rights tried to shut down the Detroit-Windsor international tunnel ahead of the second Democratic presidential debate Wednesday, leading to arrests by Detroit police.

Some 100 protestors chanted, “No hate no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” as they attempted to block access to the tunnel.

The protest was organized by the Cosecha Movement aimed at protection the rights of undocumented immigrants. Cosecha launched the Dignity2020 Campaign, laying out an immigration platform for the Democratic Party and 2020 hopefuls that recognizes dignity for immigrant workers and families. The platforms calls for:

• An end to all detention and deportation on Day 1 in Office
• Reunification of families separated by deportation under previous administrations
• Immediate legalization of all 11 million undocumented immigrants

“Nearly every candidate has spoken out against the abuses immigrants are facing under the Trump Administration, but simply undoing the policies enacted by Trump is not enough,” said Brenda Valladares, a spokeswoman for the Cosecha Movement, in a statement. “For decades the Democratic party was complicit in a bipartisan attack on the immigrant community: While Republicans fanned the flames of white supremacy with their anti-immigrant rhetoric, President Obama campaigned on the promise of immigration reform but ended up deporting almost 3 million people — a record in our country’s history.”

As the protest concluded in Grand Circus Park, minor scuffles broke out when some right-wing supporters tried to disrupt the protest. Police intervened to deescalate tension among the two groups.

Protestors dispersed at 7:30 p.m., half an hour before the second night of the Democratic debate.

More from the rally:

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