13 Arrested Outside Obama's White House Protesting 'Deporter-in-Chief'

Over a thousand demonstrators staged a protest outside the White House on Monday. (Photo: @domesticworkers/ Twitter)

13 Arrested Outside Obama's White House Protesting 'Deporter-in-Chief'

Activists say administration's policies destroy families and betray promises for immigration reform

A group of thirteen women activists were arrested outside the White House on Monday morning protesting against families being torn apart by the Obama administration's aggressive deportation policies.

Over a thousand demonstrators with the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the anti-deportation group Not 1 More, among others, marched to the White House before the women were arrested for staging a sit-in on the Pennsylvania Avenue sidewalk.

"In 11 million households across the U.S., children are missing their fathers, women are left with the difficult task of raising families without their partners, and the deep connections between members in mixed status families and communities are severed," the demonstrators wrote in a statement ahead of the action. "These numbers continue to grow as the current deportation crisis tears apart 1,100 more families each day."

As one speaker explained during the protest, the Obama administration's strategy has been: "Deport the man, the family will follow."

The group is urging President Obama to take executive action to stop deportations of undocumented immigrants and push forward with long-promised legislation protecting immigrant families.

Following the White House action, demonstrators with the National Domestic Workers Alliance along with other labor rights groups, are staging a protest outside the Capitol building against "rampant income inequality," calling for a minimum wage hike as well as an end to tax breaks for wealthy corporations.

Dubbed the "Deporter-in-Chief," Obama has overseen a record 2 million deportations during his tenure as president and, according to the ACLU, the Department of Homeland Security continues to deport about 1,000 people a day.

_____________________

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.