Secret Service officers arrested immigrant-rights protesters outside the White House Friday afternoon, capping a day of demonstrations that highlighted unrest on President Biden’s left wing.
Protesters had gathered early in the morning to rally near the president’s home, then dozens walked to the White House and sat down to block an entrance in planned civil disobedience.
The demonstrators dubbed their rally “Papers, not crumbs,” and said they were responding to Mr. Biden’s statement during his address to Congress this week that he was willing to accept a smaller immigration deal that would offer citizenship rights to less than a third of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.
“Let’s not forget why we’re here. For the rights of the undocumented community. We’ve been in this fight for decades,” one man said, narrating a live stream of the arrests.
The arrests began just after 2:15 p.m., and the protesters went without resistance. Organizers ahead of time said among the protesters would be illegal immigrants, for whom an encounter with law enforcement could carry extra consequences.
The action came a day after Mr. Biden’s rally in Georgia to mark 100 days of his administration was interrupted by a protestor shouting “End Detention Now!”
That has long been a slogan for immigration activists who want to see Homeland Security’s detention operations shut down and all illegal immigrants released from physical custody.
“I agree with you,” Mr. Biden said after the interruption. “I’m working on it, man. Give me another five days.”
Friday’s arrests make Mr. Biden the latest president to oversee arrests of immigration activists.
Presidents Obama and Trump were also targets of similar protests.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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