An immigration protest in Vermont ended with the arrests of 26 people who blocked rush-hour traffic for more than two hours.
The group Rise Upper Valley planned the demonstration, which was attended by more than 100 people in Hartford, Vermont which is a town of about 10,000 people. The group was protesting against recent immigration raids in the area that reportedly netted 18 people between late July and Aug. 1, who are now facing deportation.
Additionally, the group was advocating for the Hartford Police to add further protections for undocumented immigrants, WCAX 3 reported.
“It feels like it’s the right thing to do and everyone should be here because this is our community and immigrants are welcome here,” said Elle Gonzales of Rise Upper Valley.
The rally started in the town hall parking lot with speeches but then fanned out into the street, with demonstrators marching to an intersection and blocking traffic. Motorists became upset with the blockade, with some reportedly driving toward the crowd and yelling at the activists.
Police used bullhorns to announce that the demonstrators needed to clear the intersection, and about 30 minutes later many had but two dozen or so linked arms and remained. Many of those arrested complied, putting their hands behind their backs but police had to use force to detain about six of the activists.
The 26 were charged with a citation of “rioters refusing to disperse” and were released.
“We recognize that everyone is concerned about this issue across the country and certainly here in our community,” Hartford Police Chief Phil Kasten said. “We understand that people came forward tonight to share those concerns.”
